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LETTERS 



UNITED STATES, CUBA AW CANADA. 



BY THE 

KOl^. AJVIELIA M. MUEEAY. 



TWO rOLJJMES COMPLETE IN ONE. 




NEW YOEK: 
G. P. PUTNAM & COMPANY, 321 BROADWAY, 



OPPOSITE PEAP.L STREET. 

1856. 



/" 






JOHN F. TROW, PRINTER, 
377 & 379 BROADWAY, NEW TORK. 



\ 



PREFACE. 



The writer of these letters did not cross the Atlantic to 
make a book. She has no wish to enter into controversy, 
or to be supposed a partisan ; but facts can never inj ure 
truth, on whichever side it may lie ; and statements made 
with fidelity and accuracy ought to be welcome. To shrink 
from their perusal is to exclude (in the present case) one 
means of knowing the condition and probable future of that 
race for whom a deep interest is felt by the British Public, 
as well as by the writer of these pages, however different 
her convictions may be from the opinions commonly main- 
tained. 

Should anything here written excite bitter feelings, or 
cause individual pain, the error must not be thought in- 
tentional. 

A. M, M. 



CONTENTS. 



LETTER I. PASK 

The Voyage to Halifax— Our Fellow-passengers— A novel Eeviver ... 9 

LETTER II. 
Boston — The Harbour — The First Luxury — Mount Auburn Cemetery — My Present 
Plans — The Atheno?um — Pleasant Location — 'Look-out for the Locomotive' — 
An Agreeable Introduction — Botanical Researches .... 13 

LETTER IIL 
"Wenham Lake— Cockle-Craft— Eagle Head— Boston — Statue of "Washington — New- 
port — "Water Quadrilles— A New Vegetable — American Kindness — Dr. Howe . 27 

LETTER IV. 
Boston— The Slavery Question ........ 87 

LETTER V. 
The "White Mountains Tour — Railway Arrangements — Alton Bay — The Paper Birch 
— Centre Harbour — New Acquaintance — Mount "Willard — A Hasty Judgment 
The Hotel House— The Profile House— Forest Fires .... 40 

LETTER VL 
Pleasant Rambles— The Flume— An Evening Party— The "White Mountains— Pem- 
mewhasset — "Wells River — An Early Breakfast— Burlington— Connecticut River 
—Rattlesnakes — Quebec— Night Voyage — Spencer "Wood .... 49 

LETTER VIL 

Quebec— Spencer "Wood— A Comparison — A Paradox — Lord Elgin — The House of 
Deputies — The Premier's Speech — Deeds, not "Words — Monsieur Brodeur — In- 
consistencies .... ..... 59 

LETTER VIIL 
Quebec— The Clergy Reserves— The Industrial Exhibition— A Malcontent— A Bo- 
tanical Excursion — Curious Meteoric Light — Visit to a Squaw— Variable Wea- 
ther—Canadian Pensioners— Lord Elgin— Canadian Ladies ... 70 



CONTENTS, 



LETTER IX. PAGE 

Montreal — Victoria Bridge — St. Hilaire — A Pretty Edifice — Silver Heights — Ottawa 
Eiver— Le Petite Nation— The Massacre— Natural History— Falls of the Ottawa 
— Officious Care — A Field for Enterprise ...... 84 

LETTER X. 

Lake Ontario— Rideau Canal — Autumn Forest-Tints— Lord Elgin— Seat of Govern- 
ment—The Future of Canada — River St. Lawrence— Primitive Locomotion- 
Rice Lake — Toronto— Toronto Cathedral— Demonstration at Hamilton— Milton 
—Falls of Niagara— A Profitable Estate ...... 9T 

LETTER XL 

Niagara— Manners of the Squaws — An Old Irishwoman— Lakes Erie and St. Clair— 
Detroit — A perfect Panorama— Sandwich— A Penitent Runaway— Scarcity of 
Servants — Cleveland— Battle of the Alma — Cayuga Lake — Ithaca — ' Forest City ' 
—Homer .......... Ill 

LETTER XIL 

Albany— Governor Seymour— A Transatlantic Wedding— The Museum— The Slave 
Problem — The American Clergy — The Penitentiary — Indian Thanksgivings — 
Origin of the Party Names— A Paternal Governor— A Manxman— Youthful 
Heroism— Community of Shakers — The Letter of the Law— Probabilities . 124 

LETTER XIIL 
New York — The Broadway — Greenwood Cemetery — Rev. Henry Ward Beecher — 
Philanthropic Institutions — Social Engagements — Doctrine of Compensations — 
The Maine Law — Washington Irving — An Unbiassed Testimonial— Sectarian 
Assumption — Hopes for the Future . . . . . . .142 

LETTER XIV. 
New York — The Five Points— Dogmatism— Baltimore — Sisters of Charity — Wash- 
ington—The Capitol and Museum— Negroes and their Masters— A Motley As- 
semblage—The Twig and Tree . . . . . . .156 

LETTER XV. 
The New Year — Washington and Andi'6 — Character of the ' Know-nothings '—Oc- 
cupation of Congress— Smithsonian Institute — Woman's Mission — Cuba and her 
Wrongs— A Questionable Alternative — A Postulate .... 166 

LETTER XVL 

Washington— Papal Jurisdiction— Extinction of the Tribes — Presidential Evening — 
Mormon Domesticity — OS'ers of Marriage — Characteristics of the South — Ameri- 
can Indilference — Benjamin Franklin — Richmond — The Observatory — Railroad 
Companions— Unpleasant Incidents— Statue of Washington — General Dilapida- 
tion — Charlottesville — The University — Road to Staunton — Lexington — Perils 
on the Eoad — The Natural Bridge — Scenery on the Powhatan — Geological Fea- 
tures—Links Canal-boat— Petersburg— Wilmington— Mr. Gushing on the War 
—Superior Cultivation— Black Servants . . . . . .176 



CONTENTS. 7 

LETTER XVII. pagb 

Charleston — Masters and Slaves — ' Uncle Tom's Cabin' — Darkies as Nurses — North 
and South — Negro Characteristics — The Tillandsia Usnoides — Botanizing — Mag-, 
nolia Cemetery — Southern Habits — Belmont — Observations on Slavery . . 194 

LETTER XYIII. 
Savannah, Georgia — A Rebecca— Negro Character— Mistake of English Philanthro- 
pists — Buonaventura Cemetery — A Collision — Return to Savannah — Darien — 
Plantation— The African Race— Misdirected Zeal— Debts of the States— An Un- 
fiivorable Contrast — Negro Indolence— Alligators ..... 207 

LETTER XIX 
Hopeton — Topsy — Slave Honesty— Brunswick— A Primitive Post-Office— Palatka — 
A Shell Land— Silver Springs— Botanizing— Democratic Despotism — Tea Ser- 
vice — The Silver Spring— Hotels in America — Tiger Cat — Log-Dwelling— Ocala 
— Old Dick's View of Slavery — Panthers — Jacksonville— Charleston— Unusual 
Cold 220 

LETTER XX. 
The Genuine Sea-Serpent — Lighthouse— Key West — Approach to the Harbour — 
Havana — The Anti-Slavery Movement — Buyers and Sellers — Mrs. Crauford's 
Reception — A Spanish Dog— Pic-Nic — The Capitan Generale — Negro Depreda- 
tions — The Coolies — Volantes — Matanzas — Cocoa-Nuts — Sugar-Crushing — Ta- 
morri— Geological Speculations ....... 284 

LETTER XXL 

Matanzas — Monsieur 's Plantation — Sympathy with the Cubans — Aboriginal 

Race — Return to Havana — Anecdote of a Slave Merchant — Abolitionist Notions 
—The Cabanos—Filibusterers— Turpitude of the Blacks— Ramon Pinto — Popu- 
lar Sports— Snake Milker— Position of England— The Future of Cuba— Spanish 
Misrule — Execution of Ramon Pinto — Mrs. Stow— Low Moral Condition of the 
Cubans — New Orleans . . . . - , . . . 249 

LETTER XXIL 

New Orleans — ^Mosquito Net — Slavery v. Freedom — A Penitent Fugitive — Separa- 
tion of Negi-o Families— The Opera— Cuban "VYatch Cries— Cuban Law— Dinner 
at the British Consul's — In the Bush — Railroad Accidents — Chatawa — Detention 
at Osyka — Asylum for Widows — Negro 'Privelege' — Unhealthy Locality — 
Pinto's Conspiracy — Remarks on Slavery — Diorama of Pilgrim's Progress — The 
Mississippi — Liberia — A Paternal Slaveholder— A High-mettled Racer— British 
Heroism — Address to Americans . . . . . . . 262 

LETTER XXII L 
Clerical Yiew of Slavery — Transatlantic Sympathy — Negro Character . . 281 

LETTER XXIY. 
Indian Tribes— Parisian Perruquiers— Bayo Navigation — Route to "Washington — 
Planetary Conjunction — Horned Frogs— Fossilized Forest — A Lonely Situation- 
Crocket— Dignity of a Texan Hostess — Alexandria— Novel Road-Making— Pros- 
pect for Emigrants— Birds and Snakes— Red River— Scarcity of Workmen — 
Letter on Slavery— Fireflies— Effects of a Drought— Eclipse of the Moon . 284 



CONTENTS. 



LETTER XXV. pack 

Street Architecture— Stockport— Montgomery— An Aunty— An Intelligent Negro 
—Stone Mountain— A Polite Guide— An Obliging Landlord— A Juvenile Coach- 
man—American Eomancing—' Cactus Eattailiense'— Achille Murat— Nashville 
—Mrs. Polk 302 

LETTEE XXVL 
Mammoth Cave— Treatment of Travellers— A Slave Guide— Mocking-birds— Even- 
tualities — A Negro Beauty— Louisville— Cincinnati— The Victoria Eegia— A 
Generic Term— Future of Cincinnati— A Precipice Town — Dr. Johnson on Sla- 
very—An Example— Sunday school Teaching — An Expectant Millenarian — Be- 
nevolent Institutions— Democracy and Despotism — A Consistent Eepublican — 
A Governor's Levee — Music in America — The Stone Mountain — The Bluffs of 
the White Eiver— Error of Editorship — English Aristocracy— Calling Names — 
The Temperance Legislature — Bribery ...... 312 

LETTEE XXVIL 
Albany— A "Wedding- Ticonderoga — Thunderstorm — Girard College — A Coal Dis- 
trict — Travelling by Gravitation — Increase of Episcopacj — Geological Eiches — 
Montrose — Novel Churn — Valley of Peace— Baptism and Confirmation — Elmira 
— Lake Eosa— Pleasant Travellers — Utica— Bishop Elliott on Slavery— A Negro 
"Wedding — A Negro Funeral — Indian ' Sacred Stone ' — Cazenovia — Fine Pros- 
pects—Ornithology — Eural Hotel — American Excavator — A Forest Swamp — 
Trenton Falls—The Boiling Pot 831 

LETTEE XXVIII. 
Indian Nomenclature — A Shaker Village— Cambridge— A Troublesome Negi-o— 
Whites in the Northern States — Slavery an Ordination of God— A Brotherly Act 
— Travelling-bag— Life-preserver— The Wise Men of the West— Inhabited Plan- 
ets—Frozen Wells— The Zodiacal Light— Gigantic Frog— Free Black Mortality 
— WMieatley Lead Mines— ^Ir. Abbott Lawrence — Military Cadets — Palace of the 
Hills— Cuatskill Waterfall— Educational Convention— Staten Island— East Eiv- 
er — American Crystal Palace — Ailanthus Glandulosa , . . .351 

LETTEE XXIX. 
Saratoga— Miscreants— Lake George — Gipsy Expedition— Our Progress — Saranac 
Lake— Our First Encampment— Preparationc for Breakfast— Good Fishing- 
Deer Hunting— Our Tents— Our Toilet— Long Lake — ' A Fix ' — Variety of Fun- 
guses—A Stormy Night — A Picturesque Medley — The Eight Lakes — A Word to 
Travellers — Modern Mirandas — 'Necessity has no Law' — Departure of the 
Guides— A Neglected Eoad — Early Memories— Blind Owen— A Prairie District 
— American and English Soldiers — Uncourteous Manners .... 367 

LETTEE XXX. 

Aboriginal City— St. Louis— Chicago — Alton — 'Women' and 'Ladies'— Milwaukie 
— Iron Mountain— State Fair — A Word to Travellers — Want of Consideration- 
American Society — Dark Eooms— The 'Lady Elgin' — Wilful Misdirection— Si- 
lurian Fossils — Indian Names — Eemarks on Slavery — Epilogue . • . 3S7 



LETTER I. 

THE VOYAGE TO HALIFAX. 

Ox Board the Canada, ) 

Banks of Newfoundland, July 29, 1854. J 

My Dear Friends, — 

A week ago, on the 22nd, we left the Mersey at 11 o'clock, 
A. M. ; but this is the first moment that head, hands, and eyes have 
been willing to work together for the purpose of writing. Captain 
Stone says we may put letters into a bag at Halifax, and that we 
are likely to arrive there on Monday night or Tuesday morning, so 
I will try to have this ready. 

Good, kind Mr. and Mrs. Rathbone had exhausted every possible 
thought for my present and future comfort ; and Mr. Rathbone 
crowned all by conveying me to the steamer in the Jackal mail ten- 
der at the last moment, that I might not spend a single unnecessary 
hour on board. 

The sun shone cheerily, the lively breeze was but just sufficient 
to give a gay jaunty air to flags and sails, and no sensation, either 
sad or nervous, affected me, to mar the pleasant scene. I found my 
two companions already in the ship, and my case of plants happily 
established behind the wheel-house, where the steersman sits com- 
fortably sheltered, and almost hidden from view. 

I arranged my cushions, cloaks, and books on the deck, so as to 
make me a back of the mizen-mast, and in the persuasion that I was 
about to pass a most agreeable and intellectual afternoon, I sat down 



10 THE VOYAGE TO HALIFAX. 

to enjoy myself, with Mrs. F ■ by my side. I had often heard of 

the Bell buoy, but no very particular idea had ever been suggested 
by its name. In the reality, however, there was something very 
solemn and affecting — its deep-measured musical sound booming 
over the sea. It called up the first saddening thought that had yet 
crossed my imagination — the thought, that for how many gallant ships 
that had gone forth, hopeful and cheerful as our own, had it tolled a 
knell. 

The wind freshened, the motion deepened, and in less than an 
hour my companion was compelled to desert me. I endeavoured to 
preserve a stout opinion of my own good sailorship, and opened a 
book, but as that demanded too much attention, I changed it for the 
Illustrated London JVews, of which I accomplished one column, and 
then tried a nap. Thus I maintained my position till about three 
o'clock, when no resolution would longer avail, and I was forced to 
call for help. I almost threw myself into the arms of the stewardess, 
who still asserts that I am an excellent sailor ; I am willing to be- 
lieve her, as I never arrived at the conclusion of most great sufferers, 
that it would be a mercy to throw me overboard ; and on Monday 
I created quite a sensation among the stewards in the saloon, by ap- 
pearing ready dressed for breakfast soon after seven o'clock, oblivious 
of the fact, that eight o'clock soon becomes seven in crossing the 
Atlantic. However, no harm was done. I sat down, and found 
myself able to read through the Illustrated JVews, which had become 
incomprehensible to me at the second page on Saturday ; and though 
that was the extent of my literary efforts for twenty-four hours, I 
hailed it as a symptom of convalescence. My friends on board were 
still hors de comhat^ and did not revive to any enjoyment of existence 
until two days later. On Tuesday, Hugh Miller's Schools and 
Schoolmasters became a source of great pleasure to me ; and to-day 
I can write as well as read without inconvenience. There are not 
more than three or four English among our fellow-passengers. Cana- 
dians, Germans, French, but chiefly Americans, make up a hundred 
guests, entertained in the chief saloon by our captain. Not more 
than twenty of these are women. There are seventy-four second-class 



OUR FELLOW-PASSENGERS. 11 

passengers besides. All are kind, sociable and gentlemanly. Three 

of the men were formerly known to my friend, Mrs. F , and I am 

becoming well acquainted with them. It is very agreeable, as well 
as useful, to have some gentlemen in the party from whom Ave can 
ask and receive kind offices without scruple ; and when these are 
bestowed by men of cultivated minds and Christian courtesy, im- 
provement as well as pleasure must be the result of the voyage. 

Sunday^ July 30. — Such a lovely morning. Air enough, sun 
enough, sea enough. But I missed seeing three whalfes, and also a 
sight of the Asia steamer on her way to Liverpool, by my doubts as to 
the propriety of making my appearance on deck soon after five in 
the morning, as I did yesterday. Captain Stone, however, promised 
to send a messenger to my cabin door on future occasions of the 
same kind. 

We have had two magnificent sunsets on the passage — one last 
night and one on Thursday. I had never till now beheld the sun go 
dow^n without a cloud or speck of land in sight. It was very strik- 
ing. A young silvery moon stood just above us, and the scene re- 
minded me of Turner's picture, 'The Old Temeraire.' 

It seems we passed Newfoundland early in the morning, and I 
would have ' turned out ' to see it, had I known in time. Yesterday 
we were on the Banks, and saw one schooner drawing up cod-fish 
out of the water. Some fog attended our passage over these Banks, 
which are so called because soundings can be made over them, while 
the main sea is unfathomable. 

Health is now restored to the passengers. A cheerful tone of 
feeling pervades the saloon, where v/e all resort to read, write, play 
at chess, or whist ; converse in groups or pairs, or take a sound nap 
in the midst of noise and bustle. 

In our whole society I do not find one person acquainted with 
the vegetable world, except as regards the edible individuals belong- 
ing to it. One poor lady was distressed yesterday at the apparent 
failure of her endeavour to cultivate, and revive a little plant of Mimu- 
lus moschatus, by sending it to the ice-house ! I rescued the poor 
thing from the frozen regions, cut off" its perished shoots, and begged 



12 THE VOYAGE TO HALIFAX. 

its owner to give it a sunny berth with a tumbler placed over it to 
save the yet surviving roots from the sea-spray ; but life was too far 
gone to recover it. 

I was fortunate before leaving England, accidentally entering a 
bookseller's shop in Leamington, to find two interesting new publi- 
cations, Hugh Miller's Schools and Schoolmasters, and Murchison's 
Siluria. They not only interest me deeply, but afford pleasant 
reading to my associates. 

Jul?/ 31. — The sun set in a bank of clouds, and we have had 
some wind and rain in the night ; finding my berth close, I was on 
deck very early. The Captain of an American merchant ship showed 
me a Mother Gary's «hicken, which was flying just above the water 
near us. He gave a decided opinion that the best manner of com- 
bating sea-sickness is by determined exertion, and by getting up as 
soon as possible after the first attack. He says the first effort is 
equally great whether it is made the second day or the twentieth ; 
he has known people keep their bed eighteen days, and sufier just as 
much at the end of that time in their attempts to sit upright as they 
could have done seventeen days sooner ; so that the earlier the bat- 
tle is begun the sooner it is over. This morning there is more sea 
than we have yet had, and I bear it w^ell. It is expected that w^e 
may reach Hahfax late this afternoon, perhaps not till eight or nine 
o'clock in the evening. I shall be sorry if the hour w^ill not allow 
us to land ; but I am told that it is a custom among the inhabitants 
to light up their houses when the arrival of the steamer is known, 
and that will be a pretty sight. In case I should not be able to add 
to this letter, I will conclude it now. 

Yours aff'ectionately, 

A. M. M. 






LETTEE II. 



BOSTON 



On Board the Canada, } 
Augtcst 1, 1854. f 

My dear Friends, — 

My letter was put into the sliip bag before we arrived in the 
fine Bay of Halifax, about nine o'clock last evening. An hour earlier 
we could have seen the town and distant country to greater advan- 
tage ; but it would have been ungrateful indeed to require more, 
when we were already blessed by so much. An off-shore wind, soft 
and balmy ; the sea like an inland lake, reflecting, as in a golden 
mirror, each little boat ; brilhant paths of light, derived from moon 
or lighthouse, or shore lamp ; a full round red sun had sunk behind 
the town and bay, but he left behind him an hour's twilight of crim- 
son and gold, which had also vanished before our ship touched the 
Nova Scotian shore. "We made a party for walking about Halifax 
by moonlight. The streets appear to consist of rather irregular, low 
houses, built chiefly of long thin boards, called ' clap-boards,' with 
shingle roofs. I am told these houses are painted bright colours, but 
it was too dark to see this. We stumbled along the dimly lighted 
streets, and at last took our way up a steep one, which led to the 
Battery Hill. From thence we had a fine moonlight view of the 
town and bay. AVe also saw the supports of the electric telegraph, 
and passed by two chapels, and some trees of a kind there was not 
sufficient light to recognize, but my companions thought they were 



14 BOSTON. 

the Button wood [Platanus). There was music in some of the 
houses — universally Scotch airs — ' Johnny Cope,' ' Annie Laurie,' 
&c., (fee. As a Scotchwoman, I felt sure of a welcome,ifI had wished 
to intrude upon the performers. We returned to the Canada 
before she fired her guns to announce our approaching departure. The 
echo of these guns was the loudest and finest I ever heard, reverbe- 
rating like thunderclaps all down the coast. We steamed forth about 
eleven o'clock, Jupiter in the east, and the whole sky bright with the 
brightest stars, and meteors could be seen frequently striking across 
the heavens. About twelve we were asleep in our berths, and I 
slept late ; but it is a beautiful morning, so that we can walk the 
deck and admire the still sea and the coming shore. Our last dinner 
was all conviviality and merriment, everybody complimented every- 
body, and particularly the captain ; and most of us agree it will be 
useless to go to bed again, certainly not to sleep, so impatient are 
we for the first sight of Boston, which is expected to be visible at 
sunrise. 

August 3. — I think the Bay of Boston must be as wide as that 
extending from the island of Portland to the Start, in England. 
Nearing the harbor, I expected to see trees, but the low downs and 
numerous islands which surround it, though green, are bare of 
anything but houses. It is the finest harbour I have yet seen, and I 
should imagine might be made as impregnable as Cronstadt, if as 
many batteries were planted upon its numerous islands — one only, 
defends the entrance. I now feel as if everything round me 
belonged to some of the Leicester-square life-like Panoramas ; my 
voyage seems a dream, and facts unreal. Once in the harbour, if 
blinded and turned twice round, it would be difficult to say at 
which point we became embayed and surrounded by the islands and 
capes — vessels sailing about, or at anchor, in every direction. 
Owing to our quick voyage, the Niagara (sister of Canada')^ which 
leaves at twelve to-day, for Liverpool, had not vacated her berth ; 
therefore our captain was obliged to lay-to, and await her depar- 
ture. We arrived about nine o'clock, and the Custom-house 
appeared to ignore our presence for some time ; in fact, I suppose 



THE FIRST LUXURY. 15 

they would ratlier not have us upon their hands till they get rid of 
the othei^ two Cunard steamers, the Niagara and the Alps ; and it 
was an hour or two before a Tug came to take luggage and passen- 
gers ashore. This was not objectionable to me, because it gave me 

time enough to look about ; but it was trying to Mrs. F , w^ho 

had brothers and sisters waiting to receive her, after five years' 
absence. The first thing which charmed me on landing was the 
cleanhness of the wharves, and the complete absence of sea or 
harbour odours. No sensation reminded one of departed miseries ; 
in this, Boston has a great advantage over Dover and Folkestone, 
where one is made sensible (in some degree at all times, and spe- 
cially at low tide), of a commingling of mud, gas, and sewers, which 
is certainly not consoling for the past, or promising for the future. 
The Custom-house oflScers were civil and obliging, bothering us as 
little as possible ; but the large number of passengers coming and 
going, and an avalanche of boxes and packages, made it impossible, 
even for Americans, to ' go ahead ;' and so we had to wait for 
three mortal hours in the chairs they set for us, under a tolerably 
cool shed. 

Mrs. F 's brother. Mr. C , then procured a carriage, and 

cart for our baggage, and I was taken to the Tremont Hotel, in 
their way to his house in Chesnut-street. I found a pleasant draw- 
ing-room for the occupation of ladies, and bedrooms for self and 
maid, and a kind fellow-passenger to take charge of me at the 
table-d'hote. I found excellent cucumbers, boiled maize, undressed 
tomatoes, baked fish, and lobsters — pleasant cool diet to a person 
suddenly plunged into a heat beyond our most extreme dog-days. 
The first luxury I Avelcomed with gratitude was the abundance of 
ice — a jug of iced water placed even in my bedroom — on the 
table of the ladies' saloon, and everywhere at meals. After dinner, 

Mr. D ■ w\as so obliging as to procure tickets for a garden, five 

or six miles off, belonging to Mr. Gushing, and also for Auburn 
Cemetery. Mr. Cushing's flower-garden and houses are considered 
the finest in New England ; but they were not beyond a third-rate 
or fifth-rate in our old country. The fruit-houses seemed in good 



16 BOSTON 

order — the flower-houses not more than tolerable ; I saw no plants 
that were not old acquaintances of mine in most of our gardens, 
with the exception of one, a creeping annual or biennial, which had 
been allowed to ramble over the flower-beds ; the gardener (a young 
Irishman) could not tell the name of it. Its foliage and buds 
looked like a soft woolly convolvulus, the flowers double, each 
separate one, when plucked, in size and form like a flaccid pink 
Soapwort. The gardener told me of two pretty wild plants which 
had particularly struck him in the neighbourhood ; from his descrip- 
tion one might be a Saracenia, the other some species of Ornitho- 
galon. I asked Captain Stone's hospitality for my precious Ward's 
case of plants on board the Canada till I can make the acquaint- 
ance of Dr. Gray, to whom I wish to consign them. They have 
flourished since their emigration, as all plants in hermetically sealed 
cases do flourish. 

My American friend, after our visit to the garden, conveyed me 
to Mount Auburn Cemetery, that last resting-place for humanity, an 
example of what I hope, some day, to see copied in the neighbour- 
hood of London. In feeling and taste it is really perfect. I^o 
crowding up in disgusting heaps like our own churchyards. Shade, 
elegance, and that stillness so soothing to the grief, the recollections, 
and the hearts of surviving friends — a place interesting to strangers, 
and not disagreeable even to the young and gay. The burying- 
ground of each family is as nearly as possible alike in size, all fenced 
ofi" by strong but neat and pretty iron railings, with small gates; 
over the front of every entrance, simple surnames and Christian 
names belonging to first purchasers, with dates, all in iron ; each 
family is permitted to place monuments and tombs within its own 
enclosure. I do not know if there is any check which may stop 
the exercise of atrociously bad taste ; but by some means or other 
this must be effected, for all the tombs are simple and inoffensive, 
and some of the monuments beautiful. I was surprised to see that 
a few were protected by glass, particularly one pretty recumbent 
statue of a child. Nearly all the erections are pure white marble ; 
generally low obelisks or slabs. I saw not one objectionable in 



MOUNT AUBURN CEMETERY. lY 

feeling or in taste, and no pompous fulsome epitaphs. ^ Implora 
Pace ' might have been inscribed over the entrance of this ceme- 
tery, without causing any revulsion of sentiment within its pre- 
cincts; in this matter, certainly, the mother land may well take 
some hints from her child's example. As we drovs away a man 
offered a bunch of water-lilies for sale (or rather buds which are to 
open to-morrow). My companion gave me three. He tells me 
they have long-shaped, sweet white blossoms ; and the stems are 
very long. I saw no leaves ; but it is certainly not our Thames 
white water-lily ; this one is Nymphrea odorata. Last night the 
closed buds looked too firmly shut for me to see them soon open, 
but even before sunshine has touched them, at eight o'clock this 
morning, they are wide awake. I see no difference between them 
and ours, except that the petals are longer and more pointed, but 
they have a much more pleasant scent. Our drive was through a 
thickly-inhabited suburb, going by Brookline and returning by 
Cambridge and Harvard College ; one country house and villa 
succeeding another. The architecture and elevations, and green 
external blinds, make them much resemble houses around Frank- 
fort ; but apparently they have arisen so fast, that there has not 
been time enough to ornament the gardens with flowers ; a rather 
rough lawn, with a few shrubs, chiefly Arbor vitae and Pin us, per- 
haps a tree Hibiscus here and there, Avas most commonly all. The 
general aspect of Boston, with the exception of a few of the prin- 
cipal houses, say, ' We have been in such a hurry, we must finish 
by-and-by.' But I don't dislike the appearance of -tlijii unhewn 
grey stone, a granite of which some of them are built. " When of 
brick, in this neighbourhood, the colour is more pink and less glaring 

than ours. Soon after my return to the hotel, Miss C came 

and brought a sister, sister-in-law, and a nephew to see me; and 

afterwards Mr. D introduced Mr. and Mrs. Mills (the latter a 

daughter of a benevolent agriculturist, Mr. Colman, who died in 
England) ; on her return home, she kindly sent me a beautiful 

nosegay, and this morning Mr. D , before his departure for 

New York, left me two more letters of introduction for Nahant, 



18 BOiTroN. 

where I think of going this afternoon, as I find Mr. and Mrs. Long- 
fellow are there, and I much wish to see them ; besides which, this 
town is like a bakery, it is so hot. I shall probably visit Mr. and 

Mrs. B , at Newport, in a day or two. The cholera is said to 

be raging at Montreal and Quebec, so I shall not hurry myself to 
get there ; and I shall wish rather to linger among the valleys and 
hills of the Connecticut River, after leaving Newport : then I am to 
visit the White Mountains; and my present idea is to reach Wash- 
ington by the opening of Congress, in December, and afterwards 
travel southward to Virginia, Louisiana, Florida, and perhaps Cuba. 
If I accomplish this tour successfully, I imagine it would be plea- 
sant to follow the spring of 1855, northwards ; chiefly for the sake 
of botanical researches, and then to return to Boston in June or 
July, when I may spend my remaining three months either in this 
town or its neighbourhood. Of course, my plan may be modified 
or changed, but it offers a prospect of much interest and amuse- 
ment. Sir Charles Grey, the late governor of Jamaica, who joined 
our ship's company at Halifax, and is now in this house, complains 
of the frigidity of winter, even in the soutliei-n parts of the States, 
and strongly recommends me to take shelter in Florida, where he 
says I shall find warmth and amusement for a few weeks ; but pro- 
bably, after so many years passed in tropical climes, his constitution 
is more sensitive to cold than mine. 

Boston^ August 4. — A delightful day yesterday. Too tired to 
write my letter, and get to breakfast, much before ten o'clock. I 
was not dressed when Mr. Mills sent up his card. He said he would 

call later ; and while I breakfasted, Mrs. F 's brother, Mr. C. 

C , came to me, both oftering services ; then came Mr. F , 

Miss C , and F . I received a very kind farewell note from 

a friend (who left Boston for New York at six o'clock), with some 
letters and notes of introduction. My first immediate object being 
Dr. Gray and the Botanical Garden at Cambridge, Mr. Dwight (a 

former acquaintance in London), and Mr. R. C. C accompanied 

me there. My expectations were not at all disappointed : I met 
with a hearty welcome, and all the information, and enthusiasm for 



THE ATHEN^UM. 19 

plants, I desired to find. With the intention of returning to dinner 
here at two o'clock, I found it more than half-past before I thought 
of leaving the Garden, and I then made an appointment to meet 
my Ward's case of plants at Dr. Gray's house by nine o'clock this 
morning. Upon looking over the lists, nearly all the plants I have 
brought are new to him ; Weigelia rosea and Deutzia scabra he has, 

so they will belong to Mrs. F . I learnt much botanically, 

and have promises of aid ; the trees in this Garden interested me 
deeply — so many are quite new to me. One or two of them I am 
sure would do at Abbotsbury, particularly the beautiful Virgiha 
lutea. I saw such pretty mallows, — in short, I felt as if transported 
to the Fairyland of Flowers. Newport this week is out of the ques- 
tion, for Dr. Gray has proposed botanizing over part of this country 
with me ; so we are going to have a walk to-morrow, and we are 
to go to Nahant, and perhaps I shall stay there a few days. I am 
told I shall find good sketching, and Mr. and Mrs. Longfellow and 
Professor Agassiz are there. We returned to the Tremont Hotel, 

and afterwards Mr. D took me to call at Mr. Eliot's, Mr. Tick- 

nor's and Mr. Abbott Lawrence's, and then showed me the Athe- 
nseum (the finest architectural building in Boston) where there are 
public reading-rooms, a good library and some tolerable pictures, 
particularly two unfinished heads of Washington and his wife, by 
Stewart. I admire Alston's portraits, but not much his landscapes ; 
perhaps those I have seen were not his best. There is a statue of 
Washington in the entrance which looks like a French caricature, 
the head thrown back in a forced ungraceful way ; but there is one 
on the opposite side, of a well-looking man — celebrated here but 
unknow^n to me, so I have forgotten his name, — an evidently truth- 
ful resemblance ; it sits in an easy contemplative attitude, with an 
expression of countenance so very like the venerable Mrs. Fletcher, 
of Grasmere, that I could fancy him her father. Our dinner-hour 
was long past at the Tremont Hotel, but I got something from a 
long printed bill of fare, which is struck off each day, and some re- 
freshing lemonade. I remember reading somewhere, that English 
people, who are used to good servants, must make up their minds 



20 BOSTON. 

tobe indifferently waited on in America, but at present here I should 
rather complain of being too much attended to. The waiters seem 
innumerable, and at least two are constantly on the look-out to find 
out the requirements of a guest. I mentioned three times thib 
morning that, having been supplied with tea and rolls, and broiled 
salmon and broiled mackerel, I required nothing more, but still an 
attendant was always at my elbow in two minutes after I had civilly 
^^.dismissed him ; and as board, and I believe all payments, must be 
included in the five dollars a day for self and maid, their attentions 
are not individual affairs. C. F came at seven o'clock to con- 
duct me to his aunt's family tea. I found his mother in the midst 
of brothers, sisters, nephews and nieces, in a room with a verandah, 
vine-embowered, and the bunches of grapes hanging thickly above 
it, — a cheerful, pleasant party of young and old, we remained to- 
gether till past eleven o'clock, when my host, Mr. E. C , and his 

sisters, walked back with me, about half a mile, to my hotel. The 
air was pleasantly warm and balmy ; only one individual crossed 
our path, but I heard the persevering cricket grating away from 
many an Althaea frutex, which forms the principal ornament of the 
tiny gardens before most of the houses. 

Saturday^ August 4. — Here am I — I don't know where ! for I 
am writing the first thing in the morning, and such was my interest 
and pre-occupation and delight at the wholly unexpected beauty of 
this place last night, that I did not ask its name. Imagine scenery 
more like Mount Edgecumbe than anything else I ever saw or heard 
of in Great Britain ; only with few ships on the sea. Pines and 
cypresses, and shrubs of the (to me) rarest description, growing 
down to the very margin of the picturesque jagged shore, with grey 
and red porphyry rocks starting up on all sides, even from the very 
door of M. L 's charming cottage, — Cherokee-roses and honey- 
suckles on the verandah ; various plants and shrubs, and even black- 
berries new to me, one with a delicious fruit, something between 
blackberry, mulberry and raspberry in flavour [Bubus villosus, high 
blackberry), rambling over the grey boulders, and in front a sea 
studded by islands. In the evening there was a glowing sunset on 



PLEASANT LOCATION. 21 

the land side, Jupiter, amidst the eastern constellations, shining over 
the bright calm sea ; imagine also the air just freshened by a shower, 
and you may form some idea of the enjoyments I had in a moon- 
light walk with Dr. and Mrs. Gray last night. But I must try and 
give some rational account of how and why I find myself somewhere 
near Beverley, in the United States, instead of at Nahant. This 

place is called Glencove, and the one adjoining, where Mr. L 's 

son lives, is Burnside. I find it diflScult to write, and even to dress, 
the view from my bed-room window is so attractive. The pleasure 
ground below, upon a rough hill, Avhich descends i-apidly to the 
sea, is sprinkled over by apparently upheaved granitic boulders, in- 
terspersed with Pinus rigida. Junipers, a large shrubby white-leafed 
honeysuckle, fine fruiting rubuses, roses, and various kinds of wild 
flowers new to me ; the shore, with occasional dark masses of vol- 
canic strata bursting through the rocks; a bay dotted by islands, 
some with buildings on them, and one having a tall lighthouse ; 
ships and little boats sailing about in all directions ; a long promon- 
tory stretching to the south between this place and JS'ahant ; the 
weather warm enough to have windows wide open all night, and 
yet not the least oppressive; with all this to distract, you may won- 
der that I do get dressed soon after seven — the breakfast hour of my 
hospitable entertainers. 

I must go back to the time when R and I left Boston yes- 
terday morning. We drove to Dr. Gray's soon after nine o'clock, 
my purpose being to open the "Ward's case of plants with him, and 
then to proceed to the hotel at Nahant to stay a day or two. I 
found Mrs. Gray, who was absent yesterday, had kindly come home 
to meet me. She and her husband, whose acquaintance was my 
first wish in America, and whose scientific knowledge can only be 
exceeded by his kindness, had prepared a pleasant surprise for me 

by arranging with her father and Mrs. L for my reception here. 

They proposed my accompanying them, after he had facilitated my 
trip to Nahant, to visit Mr. and Mrs. Longfellow, and to make the 

acquaintance of Mr. D 's brother and sister-in-law, to whom he 

had given me a letter of introduction. He drove back to Boston, 



22 EOSTON. 

and I made my first American railway journey for a few miles only, 
as far as Lynn. I found the long gallery carriages comfortable and 
airy, the communication from one part of the train to the other com- 
plete and easy, and although passing across the streets and roads 
without tunnels or barriers is rather alarming, yet, as the engines 
have a large bell, and great boards are placed all across with notices 
to look out, and not cross while the bell is heard, T suppose that in- 
dividual caution may avoid a smash ; but sad accidents do sometimes 
happen. Two young ladies driving in an open carriage near this 
place, last year, being interested in their own conversation, were 
thrown off their guard, when a train came upon them. One was 
killed on the spot, and the other never recovered the shock. 

I found a gigantic ugly hotel at Nahant marring the beauty of 
its situation : it is a great boarding-house brimming over with com- 
pany. I was received by Mrs. C. D , who engaged Dr. Gray 

and me to dine with her at the public table, at four o'clock, and 
directed us to Mr. Longfellow's residence. We had passed the 
cottage, about a mile off, in our drive from Lynn ; so we got into 
the carriage which brought us, and, in pouring rain, retraced our 
way. We were cordially received by Mr. Longfellow, though Mrs. 
Longfellow had not received a preparatory note, which had been 
forwarded, immediately upon our landing at Boston, to their house 
at Cambridge. After a short stay, he was so kind as to walk with 
me ; and in a heavy rain he held an umbrella over my book, while 
I made a sketch of the rocks and bay. I thought several times, with 
alarm, how I should answer to the world if I were the cause of Mr. 
Longfellow catching his death ! particularly as he would go on in 
wet clothes to dine with us at the hotel ; but he assured me a 
brother was there who would let him take measures of prevention, 
and I was too happy to make a sketch honored by suck company 
and conversation. So it was done, in spite of rain as heavy as one 
of our heaviest thunder-showers in England, and I did not lament 
that my thin muslin dress was fairly soaked. But on reaching the 

hotel, Mrs. D 's Welsh nurse (a Glamorganshire w^oman from 

near Cowbridge, who knew about all my friends there, and in con- 



AN AGREEABLE INTRODUCTION. 23 

sequence gave me sea weeds she bad preserved) afforded me the 
means of becoming tolerably dry before dinner. This is the largest 
hotel I ever saw. When quite finished it will accommodate five 
hundred guests. It belongs to the same proprietor as Tremont 
House in Boston. I did not inquire the dimensions of the dinner- 
saloon, but I imagine that three of the size of the Kursaal dining- 
room at Homburoj mio;ht be contained in it. I sat between Mrs. C. 
D and a gentleman, to whom she introduced me : Mr. Long- 
fellow joined us after dinner. I was happy to see his coat was 
changed, a fact which, in some measure, relieved my mind of the 
fear that I might be answerable for his death. If Dr. Gray had 
not so obhgingly prepared the way for my escape to a residence 
more accordant with my tastes and pursuits, I doubt whether even 
the vicinity of friends could have reconciled me to a stay of more 

than one night at Nahant, though Mr. and Mrs. R. W (he an 

old acquaintance in England) sent me a kind ofi;er of the use of 
their sitting-room and carriage; but a few hours was enough just 
to glimpse at the humours of the place, where I suppose a large num- 
ber of the busy and the industrious come to enjoy relaxation and 
idleness. I ought to add that I was introduced to Chowder, a most 
praiseworthy preparation, enabling you to eat soup and fish at one 
time. 

The rain had now subsided into a thick fog. Dr. Gray and I 
got into the Carry-all I had kept waiting to take us back to the 
railway station ; and in half an hour we arrived at a picturesque 
valley, surrounded by rich woods and tumbled-about sienitic rocks. 

Here Mrs. L 's carriage (driven by a man who had lived with 

the late Lord Camden) met us, and in a few minutes we reached 
Glencove. Its rare beauty was an unexpected surprise, for Dr. Gray 
had only promised me a quiet botanizing nook. His father and 
mother-in-law, with Mrs. Gray, received me with great kindness. 
Mr. L is in the legal profession. A few years ago, when seek- 
ing repose and rest from over work, he accidentally stumbled upon 
this place, purchased it from the farmer to whom it belonged, and 
built his comfortable cottage, and one adjoining it for his eldest son, 



24 BOSTON. 

who is at present travelling in Europe with an invalid brother, hav- 
ing left a wife and three nice children at home. Mrs. Gray is stay- 
ing with her, as well as a lady, who promises to induce her husband, 
a sculptor and an artist, in Boston, to come here. Besides a little 
boy and girl in this house, Mr. L has a large family of grand- 
children, belonging to another married daughter, near at hand. An- 
other of ray acquaintances at home, Mr. F D -, lives within 

a short walk. After my arrival here, the w^eather was so obliging 
as to clear up, and I had a delightful scramble to the Eagle rock, 
where I yesterday made a sketch, for I am now filling up my letter 
on the lih. Saturday, was a day of enjoyment. We breakfasted 
soon after seven o'clock. Perfect weather ; not too hot ; so that 
after wandering about the grounds. Dr. and Mrs. Gray, and Mrs. 

L , took me a drive to see two lakes (or ponds as they call them. 

here). Essex Pond is an almost exact counterpart of the lake at Long- 
leat, only surrounded by more extensive forests, and with others, larger, 
in its neighbourhood. I sketched it, and afterwards Hamilton Lake 
from a distance, for we spent so much time in botanical researches, 
that we could not attempt to go farther. I gathered about forty 
plants quite new to me, and was particularly pleased to find the 
Pontederia cordata, wdiich we prize so much in the fountain at Ab- 
botsbury, and the Rhexia virginica growing at the edge of the water, 
with quantities of the pretty little rare English plant Eriocaulon 
septangulare ; — it is such a pleasure and advantage to have the com- 
pany of a botanist like Dr. Gray to give me at once the names of 
plants new to me, instead of spending perhaps hours in seeking 
them out. Among the most beautiful of these new acquaintances 
was Spirea tomentosa, a pink shrub, Osmunda spectabilis, and Leu- 
cocarpus conyzoides, and I was much pleased with a sweet Gale, 
larger and handsomer than ours, and quite as odoriferous. But I 
must add a list of plants to this letter, for those who care about them 
— though certain friends of mine will only be bored by their long 
names. We got back just in time to go and dine at Burnside with 
Mrs. W. L . The view from her verandah and windows, look- 
ing across the bay towards Marblehead and Salem, and over Mr. 



BOTANICAL RESEARCHE8. 25 

L — — 's garden, with a rocl?y cove below and the islands scattered 
about, was lovely beyond description. I have made a sketch which 
does not do it justice. Yesterday we went to church, about three 
miles' distance. The service was well conducted ; the congregation 
large ; no signs of poverty ; the people looking well-to-do, and even 
rich in appearance. The edifice very plain : all grey inside ; behind 
the reading-desk and pulpit a large globe, painted in fresco, with 
clouds around, appearing as if being dispersed by the sun rising be- 
hind — emblematic, of course, and pleasingly executed : the roof went 
up into a large kind of open tower, finished at the top by a simple 
large white flower ; blinds upon each Vv'indow outside ; a good or- 
gan ; the singing well conducted ; the hymns pretty. The minister 
preached, not ex temporarily, from the text, ' We must all appear 
before the judgment-seat of Christ.' 

After dinner. Dr. Gray and Mrs. L took me to walk in a 

wild wood, chiefly of hemlock spruce and Weymouth pines ; both 
are more beautiful here than they are in England ; and the bold 
massy sienitic rocks, many of them covered by various-coloured 
lichens, among which were Ti-ipe de Roche and Umbellicaria vellea, 
with its graceful black wreaths ; the ground was tinted by Reindeer 
moss, with its soft bluish grey ; which with the bright scarlet ber- 
ries of Comus (Janadensis, dark-leaved Pyrolas, Gaultherias, Linna3 
borealis, twining in amongst them with white pipes of Monotropa 
uniflora peeping up from under rare ferns, and elegant Vaccineas, 
formed a foreground which, for softness and variety of colouring, 
exceeded aught I ever saw even in Scotland. In the forest we met 

a son-in-law of Mr. L 's, Mr. J , botanizing with three boys, 

the youngest not more than seven, yet all appeared to take an eager 
and intelligent interest in the pursuit, and each was loaded with a 
splendid bouquet, from which they showed me a pretty new^ Asclepias 
{iytcarnata). Having now three strong arms to carry us through 

difiiculties, Mrs. L and I got down a steep descent in the wood, 

and in a little opening below^, we gathered Oncclea sensibilis, Os- 
munda spectabilis, and Veronica scutellata. I must finish this 
abruptly, as Mr. L tells us our letters must go now, to be ready 



26 BOSTON. 

for to-morrow's post to England. Mrs. B 's communication of 

August 3d, that she would send to meet me on Saturday last, has 
only just arrived. I now propose to go to her at Newport on Thurs- 
day. Lord Elgin also writes that the accounts of the prevalence of 
cholera are exaggerated, and proposes to receive me at Spencer 
Wood, near Quebec. I think of going from Newport, through the 
Valley of the Connecticut, to the White Mountains, and thence by 
Lake Champlain to Montreal ; but I shall probably send off another 
letter from Newport, 

Yours affectionately, 

A. M. M. 

The sketching here is very interesting. 

Aw/ust 9. 



LETTER III. 



NEIGHBOURHOOD OF WENHAM LAKE. 



Glencove, August 10. 

My dear Friexds, — 

I am rather tormented by wliat are here called mosquitoes, 
but they are not a bit worse than our gnats and midges and harvest- 
bugs ; indeed, I doubt whether I could have frequented woods and 
bogs in England for as long together as the time I have passed these 
last few days in the forest, and by the sea and lakes here, without 
being more devoured; and as to really venomous reptiles, I have 
not stumbled upon one : indeed, I have seen nothing disagreeable 
belonging to the animal world, and only one little dead snake, not 
much larger than our slow-worm, and, I am told, harmless. I hear 
of humming-birds occasionally on the honeysuckles, but it has not 
been my good fortune to see one ; indeed, I have observed very few 
birds. There were two or three yellow linnets, like canary birds, in 
the Botanic Garden, and I heard one little warbler in the morning 
from my window, but he sings very sparingly. The railroad is au- 
dible at times. I can hardly believe we are so near to the business 
side of life, from the quiet tranquillity immediately around ; though 
we can see towns on the distant shore, and vessels of all kinds on 
the sea. 

Soon after breakfast this morning, Mr. L took up Mrs. W. 

L and me, driven by Mr. E , to see Wenham Lake (or 

pond). It is a fine sheet of water, clear, and pure looking, about 



28 WENHAM LAKE. 

four miles round the banks ; easy of access, and at each end are a 
number of wooden ice-houses ; a railroad has been brought close up, 
for the purpose of easy transportation. Upon the pebbles at the 
edge of the water, we found two little opaque-looking, oblong eggs, 
supposed to belong to a small turtle. I sketched the lake, but found 
few flowers, though, on our way home, we gathered Solidago Cana- 
densis. After dinner Mr. and Mrs. L took me to call upon their 

daughter, Mrs. J , and upon Mr. and Mrs. D , who have 

houses about a mile on the shore towards Beverley, but I think not 
quite so prettily situated as this cottage. In the evening, I wrote 

letters. We breakfested at seven o'clock, as Mr. L went early 

into Boston. Sketched out of doors, after paying a visit to Mrs W. 

L , who accompanied me with her cousins, Mrs. G and 

Mrs. L ; and Dr. Gray returned to dinner: afterwards, Mrs. 

L drove with me to Mr. M 's, to see Mrs. F and Miss 

C . Quite a surprise to me to find them so near. It is such a 

clear night, with a bright moon lighting up the islands. Thr^e 
lighthouses are visible from these windows — Baker's Island, Boston, 
and Marblehead ; the last only a revolving light. 

I forgot to mention that Mr. S. C gave me a very curious 

animal production, a kind of elegant little vase, about two or three 
inches across, the colour and substance of fine grey cloth, edged in 
scalloped plaits, which were very gracefully formed out of sand and 
an adhesive substance. It is supposed to be the w^ork of some kind 
of cockle by the sea-shore, for the purpose of catching and confining 
its usual food. Much care will be necessary to carry this fragile cu- 
riosity safely to England ; and I am doubtful how to preserve my 
two little turtle's eggs ; they are too solid to be blown, and I propose to 
varnish them, which, perhaps, will prevent their destruction. Mr. 
Forbes (the gentleman who so nobly distinguished himself during 
our Irish famine, by undertaking to freight a ship with provisions 
and carry her across the Athmtic) dined here. He considers him- 
self to have some descent from or connexion with our Murrays in 
Scotland, and we are quite ready to acknowledge the relationship. 

Thursday, August 1 0. — Mr. L provided two Carry-alls to 



EAGLE HEAD. 29 

convey a pic-nic party to see Eagle Head, a fine porphyry bluff 
about seven miles distant. Mrs. W. L — ^ — took out her fine good- 
humoured baby girl, not seven months old, and she seemed to enjoy 
the expedition as much as any of us. In our vray we passed through 
a bright, white, and clean-looking upholstery manufacturing town, 
called Manchester, the strongest contrast to our black, dirty-looking 
Manchester possible. The fiictory young men looked like smart 
London tradespeople, and the women were equally well dressed. I 
have only seen one ragged-looking body in these parts, and that 
was in Boston. He was supposed to be a recently imported Irish- 
man. This part of the country looks rather sterile and unproductive, 
in an agricultural point of view ; more thickly sown with picturesque 
rocks than corn, and therefore at first it seems a miracle how the 
population can make themselves so comfortable, and their general 
appearance be that of people well to do in the world ; but they have 
plenty of employment in various handicrafts. Between this place 
and Beverley, and towards Wenham, there are numberless tidy- 
looking small shoe-workshops — many shoes are made all through 
the neighbourhood ; these workshops are distinct from the residences 
of the shoemakers, who reside in houses all made of wood, but of a 
comfortable size. One sees no very small cottages. I have met two 
or three people who say they have come over from England to make 
a little money and mean to return there. 

The views all round Eagle Head are fine; numerous indenta- 
tions and islands on this coast make it so picturesque. We lunched 
on water-melon and cakes ; and, after spending two or three hours 
very pleasantly, returned home. Our party consisted of Mr. and 
Mrs. W. L , Dr. and Mrs. Gray, Mrs. G , Mrs. L 's bro- 
ther, Mr. E , two young girls, and the baby. Mr. L was 

taken away by the unexpected arrival of a party of workmen for the 
construction of a ram, which he was obliged to superintend. After 

dinner, Mr. W. L proposed a row on the sea by moonlight ; all 

the ladies except myself were afraid of the undertaking. The tide 
being low, we were obliged to be drawn into the water by a horse 
upon a low truck, and the difficulty of sticking to it when the horse 



30 BOSTON. 

made liis first effort to drag the macliine out of deep sand was con- 
siderable. We returned safely, however, without paying any other 
penalty for the experiment than getting rather wet. 

Friday. 10th. — After breakfast, Mr. L walked with me to 

Sunny Bank. I sketched, before leaving this pretty place. Mr. 

L showed me the difi*erence between common maize and sweet 

corn. The latter appears to be only more delicate than the former. 
It is very good, when the corn is young, served up simply boiled, to 
be eaten with butter and salt. By the four o'clock train I left Glen- 
cove with Mrs. G , Mr. and Mrs. L seeing us off. It was 

more like parting from old friends than from the acquaintances of a 
week : I had found myself so pleasantly at home among them. 
We reached Boston about six o'clock, when I was introduced to Mr. 

G , who met us at the station ; and Mrs. G took me home 

with her to Ashburton Place ; I found a nice house, belonging to 
her mother, with every comfort ; and in the evening Mr. and Mrs. 

G took me to call on Mr. and Mrs. Abbott Lawrence, where 

we passed a pleasant hour, talking over English matters. Next 

morning early, I went v/itli R to Tremont House, to unpack 

my baggage and arrange it for future use. From ignorance of hotel 
customs in this country, I had left my trunks with the hotel authori- 
ties ; and they charged me during my absence as if my boxes had 
eaten and drank, so that my bill was more than forty dollars, though 
I had remained so short a time in the house, and only had two 
small bedrooms there ; but payments are made for rooms, not for 
board or attendance ; and whether an individual person, or an indi- 
vidual box, eats or not, the same money is paid. Mr. G took me 

to his studio, to see an interesting design for sculpture. The subject 
was a shepherd boy : he is supposed to have carried off a young 
eaglet, and to be attacked by the mother bird. She has alighted 
upon the shoulder of the lad, who, borne down in a stoojDing pos- 
ture, seizing one wing of his assailant, grasps in his right hand a 
knife, with which he is prepared to defend himself. This idea is 
expressed with great force. I did not admire Chantry's statue of 
Washington at the State House ; it is wanting in character. The 



STATUE OF WASHINGTON. 31 

one at the Athengeum is better ; but neither of them satisfy the 
imao^ination as much as Stewart's unfinished heads of Washington 
and his wife in the Picture Gallery. Among the sculpture there are 
several busts by native artists, which would, I think, be considered 
fine in Europe. There w^as a bas-relief by an elder brother of Mr. 
Greenough, now dead, a sketch of which I fancy to have seen some- 
where in England. At the house of his sister I saw another work 
by the same artist : two children — the one as an angel leading 
the awakened soul of the other, with an inscription below ; very 
pretty. 

Mr. B had advised me to start by the four o'clock train for 

Providence to take the Newport steamer ; I was agreeably surprised 

by the pleasure of Mr. G 's escort and company the whole way : 

he w^as so obliging as to make the discovery that he too had some 
friends to visit, and this added much to the ease and the interest of 
my jouraey, which was longer than I expected — three or four hours 
by rail, and at least twenty-five miles up an arm of the sea to Rhode 
Island. It was dark before we reached Newport, but I found Mrs. 
B 's eldest son and Mr. B awaiting our arrival : they con- 
veyed me in a carriage about two miles to their villa, which, as it 
has no name, I shall call Ocean Cliflf. The sea view has only some 
small islands to break the expanse of water ; so, if it were possible, 
one might see as far as the South Pole. The high ground between 
this place and Newport is studded by villas ; fine rocks, which look 
like limestone, edge the points and bays of the shore, and just below, 
black coal-looking bluffs crop out into the waves : last evening I 
w^alked to look at them, but I understand there is no fear that the 
smoking chimneys of steam-engines, or the black produce of the 
earth, will ever mar the beauties of this shore. The next morning 

after my arrival, young Mr. B drove me out in what is here 

called a wagon, a four-wheeled kind of clog-cart, with very high light 
wheels (wheels very general round this country, but such as I have 
only seen attached to velocipedes in England), drawn by a spirited 
little horse, having the same good quality which I also observed in 
the larger one belonging to Mr. L , that of standing patiently 



32 NEWPORT. 

when left to himself ; in this respect horses are better trained here 
than with us. When we were wandering about for an hour or two, 
the carriage could be safely left, with the reins only slightly attached 
to some gate or paling, and the horse, though powerful and spirited, 
never seemed to have an idea of walking off. I asked the Enghsh 
groom how this was taught, but received no other explanation 
than that they were trained to it ; and a great convenience it is. 
One sees butchers' carts in London standing unguarded at houses, 
but I never found that carriages could be safely left, particularly 
with the temptations of green fields and trees in every direction. 
"VVe drove by Newport to the bathing sands, where gentlemen take 
charge of ladies in the surf: it was to me a very singular and 
amusing scene — numerous carriages, drawn up before a semicircle 
of small bathing-houses, containing gaily dressed occupants, who had 
taken their marine walk, or were waiting for the ladies, young and 
old, still frolicking about among the waves, children dancing in and 
out, gentlemen handing about their pretty partners as if they were 
dancing water quadrilles, and heads, young and old, with streaming 
hair dipping in and out : it was very droll, very lively, and I daresay 
very amusing to all engaged. No accident has ever occurred here, 
for the bay is protected by capes on each side, and the water is 
shallow for some distance out. A white flag is raised during the 
hours appropriated to ladies, and it is succeeded by a red one, later 
in the day, when gentlemen take possession of the shore on their 
own account. The scene resembled that on a racecourse in Eng- 
land. I made a slight sketch from the hill above : it was unique in 
its way, for I believe there are few places, even in America, where 
the sea would be safe for such an experiment : and even here the 
aid of strong arms is at times very necessary to save ladies from 
being knocked over by the waves. There was considerable surf to- 
day, but, from the numbers who breasted it, I suppose the courage 
necessary for the undertaking is not so great as it appears to me. 
I should look on a long while before I could try this kind of 
experiment. 

Sunday, August 13. — I went to the Episcopal Church, which 



A NEW VEGETABLE. 33 

was built during the Eiiglisli occupation here ; Berkeley, Bishop of 
Cloyne, presented a good organ. The service was well read : our 
Liturgy, with only an occasional change, which I thought an im- 
provement. The sermon, preached by a Mr. Cook, good in matter 
and in manner, and ending at the right moment — not spun out so 
as to weaken its effect : as it was neither commonplace nor dry, I 
did not think whether it lasted for twenty minutes or for fift}'- min- 
utes, and I really do not know what its duration may have been. 
The subject was Christ's command to ' follow him,' and the moral 
deduced was, that the experiment of obedience, if fairly tried, will 
never fail to convince the sceptic, and to strengthen the believer. 

Dinner was at three o'clock ; afterwards, Mr. G joined us in a 

walk to the shore. Tea was ready when we returned ; a beautiful 
moonlight starlight night. Mr. Lawrence, an English artist, walked 
in ; his crayon portraits are much liked here, and with good 
reason ; they are true, pleasing, and spirited. I much admired a 
sketch of Rogers, done just before Mr. Lawrence came from England 
last spring. 

I see nothing like timber upon this island. Mrs. B showed 

me a little bit of primeval forest yesterday ; it appeared to consist 
of hiccory and sassafras, low, thick, and scrubby; but the English 
are accused of having destroyed nearly all the natural wood during 
the revolutionary period. The Gulf Stream touches this shore, 
which makes a mild and genial climate, though I am told that 
sharp winters here destroy myrtles and pomegranates, which flourish 
upon our south-western coast, while a warmer summer sun ripens 
fruits that fail with us. I must, however, try to introduce an excel- 
lent vegetable into England, which is called here by the name of 
Okra. I have not yet seen the flower expanded, but the plant looks 
like some kind of Hibiscus, with a long green fruit, which makes a 
delicious ingredient in soups ; it is softer and more gelatinous than 
asparagus, and when young and tender is cut in slices : it is an 
annual, and perhaps will not ripen seed with us, but is surely better 
worth raising in hot-houses than French beans. I will get some 
good seed by and bye ; this and the Rubus villosus would both be 
3 



34 NEWPORT. 

good introductions ; there is a high variety of the latter, which 
might, I think, be cultivated in our warmer gardens, like raspber- 
ries ; the fruit is in size and colour between the blackberry and 
mulberry, and I think much better than the first, and much more 
certain than the last, though the flavour may not be quite so high as 
that of a really good mulberry. I am surprised that it has never 
yet been cultivated in England. At six o'clock this morning, a thick 
fog, which ended in rain and a fine day. 

There are people this side the Atlantic who, as new acquaint- 
ances, are very pleasant. This morning I have been introduced to 

Mrs. and Miss B ; they sympathize about flowers and stone=, 

which is rare in this country ; and they are not the least stiff" or 
cold. When people are cultivated and warm-hearted, I soon forget 
and forgive their habits of making all our vowels double, and even 
the nasal tone of some among them. There is a genuine charac- 
teristic frankness here which is very pleasant. There is no reason 
why we should treat our fellow-beings that happen to be new 
acquaintances, with less kindness than dogs or horses. I am afraid 
this is a fault in our national character. I believe we are honest and 
sincere, and that is better than mere surface politeness ; but we lose 
so much time in our cautious ci\alities, that in some cases life is half 
expended before we dare exchange mere acquaintanceship for a 
warmer feeling. The Americans, who are a go-ahead people in all 
their concerns, appear to me to carry their hearts in their hands ; 
this is very pleasant to a stranger coming suddenly among them ; 
and it is difficult for me to 'realize' that it is only fourteen days to- 
morrow since I landed on these shores, so many homes and hearts 
upon it have already been opened to me. Perhaps I shall find a 
difference in other places, and I may have been particularly fortunate 
in my first acquaintances. There is certainly great beauty and 
refinement of feature among the mass of the people, but it is accom- 
panied by a fragility of look which raises painful feelings. As far 
as I can judge at present, this is owing partly to hereditary causes, 
partly to actual habits. The excitement and anxieties of business- 
life in a new country probably entail constitutional delicacy upon the 



AMERICAN KINDNESS. 3.5 

children of parents so eagerly occupied, and the sedentary city edu- 
cation and pursuits of the young of the last and present generation, 
unfavourable to out-of-door interests and amusements, do not harden, 
and strengthen the nerves and muscles. I am already tempted to 
contravert the assertion of American ladies, that their generally 
delicate health is to be attributed to climate. They may have 
severer winters and warmer summers than ours, but these are 
accompanied by the advantages of less damp, and of brighter sun- 
shine. I have not had an hour too warm for exercise during any 
part of the day, for though the sun is brighter, it does not always 
beam so furiously as with us. The climate of Massachusetts seems 
to me a charming one, and I believe another generation will dis- 
cover its merits, because I entertain hopes that the children now 
growing up will acquire more hardy habits. The evil I am speak- 
ing of cannot be remedied in a day; and I find American ladies are 
at this moment so little informed with regard to natural productions, 
and so unfitted for country pursuits, that their ignorance of these 
matters is at once the evidence and the cause of their lack of phy- 
sical strength. 

JVeivport, August 15. — T v/as introduced to about thirty new 
faces yesterday. Among them the Governor of N"ew York. A pleas- 
ant acquaintance ; he gave me much geological information, and 
promises to forward my seeing Albany, &c., to advantage. I took 
a walk on the shore just below this garden, and was much interested, as 
well as a good deal puzzled. My little geological knowledge is quite at 
fault ; sand and quartz rocks, coal and limestone, and they say granite 
beyond ; this seems to me a jumble. I suppose it will be reduced to 

order by and bye. After dinner Mrs. B took me a distant drive 

up the island, to call on Dr. and Mrs. Howe : the doctor's name and 
benevolent deeds have long been familiar to me. We found also^ 
visiting them, a nephew of the late Dr. Tinkerman,* and Mr. and 
Mrs. Carlton, \ descendants of Lord Baltimore. Dr. Howe has bought 
a cottage in a picturesque valley, about a mile fi"om the sea-shore > 

* Tuckermau 'i—Am. Ed. f Calvert 7— Am. Ed. 



86 NEWPORT. 

and is busy making walks and opening out views ; his children will 
benefit in health and tastes. The sun set before we could tear our- 
selves away, and so we got home in the dark, and broke an engage- 
ment to drink tea out ; but Mrs. and Miss B came here instead, 

and we had a pleasant evening. Miss B will come soon after 

eight to-morrow morning, to take me to the rocks ; she is the only 
active young lady I have met with ! 

August 16. — After an early breakfast, Miss B took me to 

Newport, to get an American trunk to pack parcels ; and in coming 

back we went to see the pretty view from Mrs. B 's house, and 

after carrying home our purchase, we drove to Mrs. C 's villa, 

which is built close to a shore of fine granite rocks. Several lady 

visitors were with Mrs. B before I came away. Soon after one 

o'clock I called for Mr. G , who accompanied me on board the 

steamer, where I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. and Mrs. Howe. 
The Doctor went on with us to Boston. Dr. Gray came to Ashbur- 
ton Place, and promises to go with me to-morrow, as far as Lake 
Winnipiseogee, ( ' Spirit of the Waters,' ) which I am to see on my 
way to the White Mountains ; from thence my proposed route to 
Canada is by Burlington and Lake George. Although so much is 
said about cholera, Lord Elgin mentions that there is great exagge- 
ration. Rain is prophesied to-night, and it would be better to have 
wet before my next journey, to lay the dust. There has only been 
one showery day since my arrival in America, a fortnight to-day ; it 
seems more like two months than two weeks — so many new ideas 
have been crowded into the time. The Canada sails to-morrow. I 
have had no news from EnMand later than the mornino; I left Liver- 
pool ; and probably my letters have gone to the care of Lord Elgin. 
No time for more to-night. 

Yours affectionately. 

A. M. M. 



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LETTER IV. 

SLAVERY QUESTION. 

Boston, ) 

Wednesday, August 16. j 

My dear Friends, — 

My last letter will go by the Canada this morning, if possi- 
ble (as the train by which we travel towards the White Mountains 
does not start till afternoon). I shall try to see Captain Stone before 

he sails. Mrs. G is gone to Sunny Bank, so I miss her here *? 

her sister received me, Mrs. L being confined to her room by 

illness. I am told that after leaving these Northern States, I shall 
find the country, and the people, and the habits, much less English ; 
here the shade of difference is very slight — certainly not greater than 
a difference of institutions necessitates. A supply of excellent water 
is so abundant in Boston (derived, I am told, from Lake Cochituate, 
forty miles distant), that by six o'clock in the morning I see the 
servants belonging to houses watering the pavement before the doors 
with "a long hose, as we should water our gardens ; and the house- 
maids, with those clean, convenient, light-looking Shaker brooms? 
sweeping away the dust. I do not know any one of our towns (not 
\ even Bath) which exceeds this in purity and neatness ; and, as there 
is a gpeat deal of cholera abroad, in coming through the streets the 
other day, I found them perfumed with hot vinegar. I was told a 
carriage full of that fumigated liquid had been driven smoking 
through the streets. There are deaths every day here, and some at 



38 BOSTON. 

Newport ; but it is not believed to be contagious at present, only 
carrying off the profligate and the debilitated. I hear, though, that 
the deaths at New York last ^veek, among a population of five hun- 
dred thousand only, equalled our usual bills of mortality in London. 
I should particularly dread any epidemic falling upon a people which, 
as a general rule, look so over- worked, and fragile, and thin as these 
Northern Americans. Dr. Howe says it is climate ; as yet I am in- 
credulous upon this point. My friend, Mr. L , confessed he was 

almost in his grave when, eight years ago, he bought his pretty 
place. Now, with the revivifying influence of his farm and garden 
(although he does not entirely give up his legal duties), he looks as 
strong and healthy as any sexagenarian upon our side of the Atlan- 
tic. I should like to transplant all the sick dyspeptic men and wo- 
men of New York and Boston into gardens and fields, before I will 
admit that this pleasant climate is to blame. I am rather inclined 
to assert that mental excitement, and money-making, and sedentary 
employments are the real criminals, and that something is due to the 
laws of inheritance even in this unentailing country. Till my intro- 
duction to the Governor of New York, I did not know that each 
State has a Governor. Governor Seymour lives at Albany. Some 
•of these Governoi-s are only elected for two years, and this gentle- 
man does credit to popular choice. 

What is likely to be the eflect of the Nebraska Bill upon the 
Slavery question ? Some intelligent men appear to tliink it is as 
much a political catch as some of those divisions in oui- House of 
Commons which are rendered nugatory by after divisions ; and that 
it has roused the feelings of the enlightened and liberals, who con- 
sider the question as one merely of time, a disease requiring only the 
treatment of wise and not too hasty physicians, — perhaps this appa- 
rently retrograde step will ultimately hasten the desired change. 
One kind person, who is a planter, told me he has no other wish 
than to see his black children able to use the gift of themselves, 
which few deny to be their right, if they can use it ; but, like our 
Colonies, they must become men in experience and intelligence be- 
fore they can take care of themselves, and I am already inclined to 



THE VEXED QUESTION. 89 

hope tbat the ' Legrees ' are as much exceptional beings, as idle and 
profligate landholders among ourselves. In saying this, I know you 
will not think me upholding Slavery ; Christianity will and must 
subdue it — not by teaching us to vilify and persecute those less for- 
tunate of our brethren who have had the curse of human possessions 
entailed upon them— but by enlightening the darkened, and instructing 
the ignorant ; and even ( if that should be necessary ) making such 
property valueless in a commercial point of view. No individual sel- 
fishness, and no political intrigues, can prevent the wished-for con- 
summation ; and I firmly believe there are few, very few, even in the 
South, who will not hail with joy the moment of emancipation — a 
movement at present delayed b}' doubts and fears. This is my first 
view of a vexed question ; I may alter it — I may change it altoge- 
ther; but in the meanwhile, such as it is, I give it. 

Yours aflfectionately, 

A. M. M. 






LETTER y. 

THE WHITE MOUNTAINS TOUR. 

Alton Bat, New HAiiPsniEE, ) 
August 17. J 

My Dear Friends, — 

Owing to a mistake about the railroad hour, I am here, 
instead of at the most frequented end of Lake Winnipiseogee, in 
what is considered a wild village ; but this simple little hotel called 
Winnipiseogee House is clean, and much more comfortable than 
any out-of-the-way Scotch inus I ever was at ; and it is well to see 
here a specimen of the wonderful industry of this people — railroads 
down to the very Avater. I forgot to mention that before we left 
Boston, Dr. Gray took me to see Faneuil Hall (Huguenot name), 
built, as a public gift to the town of Boston in old times, by a mer- 
chant. It is the place where the first public meeting was held 
during the Revolution ; and there is a large picture of Webster 
speaking in Congress upon the Nullification question. It is well 
painted for its purpose, and the portraits are considered like. I 
afterwards made a sketch of the oldest house in Boston, now a shop, 
the date 1683. Rather before two o'clock we left in the railway 
cars for Winnipiseogee. The line goes through a country much 
resembling English park scenery ; glades and woods and single trees, 
sugar maples, red maples, hemlock spruce, Weymouth pines, black, 
white and red oak, with creeping juniper, and occasionally wild 
vines, which associate ideas of high cultivation with the landscape 



RAILWAY ARRANGEMENTS. 41 

in an English mind, from such things not being indigenous in our 
country. We passed through towns and villages called Charlestown, 
Sonierville, Edgware, Maiden, Melrose, Eeading, Andover, Haverhill, 
Newton, Kingston, Exeter, Newmarket, Durham, Dover, Berwick, 
Portland, Rochester, New Durham, and Alton, and these following, 
as I have written them, to the utter confusion of English geography. 
Among them were some Indian names, much more beautiful and 
appropriate to this country. Swampscot, Cochego, Scournamao-owie 
(how like Scournalapich, in Ross-shire), Agawam, &c., &c. At Do- 
ver, after passing the Miramachi river, we changed cars, and entered 
a branch railroad for Alton Bay. This was very slow, as it stopped 
at several stations for mercantile purposes ; and though we left at 
five, we did not arrive till after eight o'clock, having been more than 
three hours going about twenty-five miles; but the route was pret- 
ty : sometimes cut through a drift of sand, containing boulders of 
granite, with large plates of mica, it occasionally reminded me of 
the forest of Fontainebleau, but without fine timber, this forest being 
all young ; no trees looked older than thirty or forty years. We 
had a hospitable welcome; clean rooms and beds, charges moderate. 
Here, for the first time, I see hand-lamps in which a mixture of cam- 
phine and alcohol is used ; it burns clearly, and gives a pleasant 
light. This camphine is chiefly manufactured from turpentine col- 
lected in the pine woods of North Carolina. 

August 18. — Before breakfost, I sketched the lake, &c., from 
my window. A large quantity of wood lay about in all directions, 
for the purpose of supplying the car engines and lake steamers with 
fuel, wood only being used; the railroad carriages are never called 
by any other name than cars; they are more like movable galleries; 
in some respects I prefer them to carriages ; they are more airy, and 
the seats, holding two all down each side of the centre, are roomy 
and comfortable. A cord runs along the middle of the roof, by 
which the driver may be communicated with ; it is out of the reach 
of children : there is a conductor, who w^ilks backwards and forwards 
between the long cars, which I imagine convey from sixty to eighty 
passengers in each ; these are occasionally refreshed by an Aquarius, 
8* 



42 THE FAPEK BIRCH. 

walking with bis little fountain of iced water, distributing it liberally 
at the cost of the Company. Even this small and not very much 
frequented place has not only a railroad which takes one down nearly 
to the landing-place, but also a branch off it, to convey wood. Cer- 
tainly, Americans are very purpose-like and industrious, and I have 
as yet met with nothing but what has been polite, with the excep- 
tion of the unintentional rudeness of two or three country people 
here, who established themselves at the window listening to our 
conversation, and asking for my sketch-books ; but it was in the 
simplicity of their hearts ; they meant no ill, and were only doing 
as they would be done by. Here I was sorry to part with Dr. Gray, 
who kindly came so far to put me in the way of American travel ; 
but he first drove me in a ' wagon' about two miles' distance, to see 
an extensive view of the lake, which must be from seventy to eighty 
miles round, with deep indentations, and numerous islands thickly 
clothed by wood ; which, not being of a size to pay for transport, is 
left undisturbed. I did not observe any of them to be inhabited. 

I am rather pleased that our mistake about the train from Bos- 
ton caused us to come here instead of to a place called the Weir ; 
as from hence I shall go the whole length of the lake, instead of 
only about twelve miles to Centre Harbour, the point from which I 
am to visit the White Mountains. In going up the hill I saw a fine 
paper birch. Those trees are numerous here, and Dr. Gray took off 
some sheets for me to draw upon : it is prettily shaded, and easily 
takes either pencil or colour ; being both tough and soft, it comes 
off in layers. I can easily imagine how the Indians make canoes 
and all sorts of things of it ; the tree is handsome, with larger leaves 
than ours has, and a still whiter stem. I found, too, the high black- 
berry, a handsome shrub; and a witch hazel, different from ours. 
Upon a beautiful spot overlooking the lake, we came to a house, de- 
serted by its inhabitants about a year ago. The doors and windows 
were still perfectly good, and of a size far beyond a cottager's abode 
in England. In a week I could have made it comfortable enough 
to live in. A boy told us the owners had built one larger, and in a 
more sheltered situation. The first steamer had departed just as we 



CfiNTRE HARBOUR. 43 

returned, and it was four o'clock when Dr. Gray entered the train, 
to return to Boston. R and I went on board a very comforta- 
ble, clean boat, called the Dover. There were not many people on 
board. One American gentleman, who had been in England, Scot- 
land, Ireland, and apparently all over the world, came and talked to 
me, and then presented his card before lauding at Wolfsborough. 
At first the lake reminded me of some of ours, but it soon widened 
out so as to be on a grander scale ; and, with its numerous islands 
and mountain background, I thought it exceedingly beautiful. It 
was twilio-ht before we landed at Centre Harbour, the sun havino- 
made a glorious setting. We found a very comfortable hotel here. 

August 19. — Early this morning, I went with Mr. and Mrs. 

T and a party, in a kind of char-a-hanc, which held nine, to 

Red Hill, so called from the brilliant colour of the foliage late in the 
year. I refused to drive up the ascent, and therefore paused at a 
small farm to draw. The family consisted of a grandmother and 
several sons, with a married daughter and children. The old woman 
was very obliging ; she let me taste a cheese she was making, and 
gave me a seat at the door, where there was a beautiful view. The 
daughter soon came down stairs ; she looked delicate, as almost all 
American women do ; and I was amused at the simplicity with 
which she informed me that she should like to take the pattern of 
my gown, as it was exactly what she wanted ; so I gave her leave 
to get her paper and scissors for the purpose, and she accepted my 
permission quite as a matter of course. This evening I saw seven 
or eight cows driven by the owner, who occupied a gig. He was a 
respectable looking man, with a good horse, which he drove, ad 
libitum, first on one side the road, and then over the turf or into the 
ditch on the other side ! 

After considering different routes, I am inclined to go bv Conway 
to-morrow to the Notch, instead of Plymouth. I got a yellow Gera- 
dia to-day, on the Red Hill ; it is a beautiful plant ; perhaps it is 
Geradia quercifolia. 

August 20. — Centre Harbour. — Last night I made acquaintance 
with a brother and sister of a gentleman who came over in the Can- 



44 MOUNT WILLARD. 

ada ; we determined fo go on together by tlie Conway House route 
to the "White Mountains, in a kind of char-d-banc we are to hire for 
the purpose, instead of proceeding by coach to the Weir (another 
place on this lake), and there taking the road for Plymouth. We 
arrived at Conway House before three o'clock, having been long in 
making the journey of thirty miles, owing to a very hilly road, near- 
ly all the way through deep sand. The drive was hot and dusty, 
but very beautiful, through woods and by lakes ; one called Long 
Pond, another Six-Mile Pond, &c. I could have supposed myself in 
Scotland, in the neighbourhood of Loch Awe, or the Garry Lochs, 
had it not been for the paper birch, sugar maples, &c., &c., and the 
undergrowth of scrub oak — a very pretty shrub, which I have not 
before seen. There were no horses to take us on, after our dinner at 
Horace Fabian's house, therefore we must make up our minds to go 
very early to-morrow (Sunday), so as to get to Crauford House, at 
the Notch, White Mountains, by one o'clock. 

AVe left Conway this morning, xVugust 20th, at six o'clock, in a 
very comfortable open carriage, with three horses ; such a beautiful 
drive ! The country resembles Braemar, near Livercauld, but is still 
finer, as the mountains are higher and the foliage is more varied. 
We passed the Willow-house, out of which an unfortunate family 
of nine persons fled, a few years ago, to avoid a shp in the moun- 
tains. The house was untouched, and these poor people were buried 
alive by the falling stones a short distance from it. We arrived at 
the hotel in good time ; I found some acquaintances there, and was 
induced to accompany them in a char-a-banc^ drawn by six horses, 
to the summit of Mount Willard. Having once embarked in the 
undertaking, I was ashamed to insist upon being let off; but the as- 
cent was really a tremendous one for any vehicle whatever ; and how 
we ever got safely up and down again, is a marvel to me. This 
house is full of people, but all is comfortably arranged. I like one 
American plan, of paying for inn accommodation ; no bill of items 
is ever given. The payment is at the rate of three or four dollars 
a-day, and there is an end of it. This saves much trouble and time. 
Dining is not cheap at those hotels ; but those who keep them for 



A HASTY JUDGMENT. 45 

the convenience of travellers must have a certain sum ; and what 
does it signify whether this is charged for Avax candles or for bread- 
and-butter ? 

August 21. — A party went off this morning by eight o'clock to 
ascend Mount Washington on liorseback; and perhaps to spend the 
night there ; but I resisted all temptation to join it, having quite 
enough to amuse and occupy me below. Another beautiful day — 
beautiful for us, but not for the poor formers, who feel the present 
drought. Most of the streams and waterfalls are dry ; but we are 
ready to compound for some loss of picturesque effect for the sake of 
the charming weather. Yesterday I ate sweet potatoes at dinner ; 
they taste very like chestnuts. Such things are not grown here, but 
come from the South. I find extreme civility and attention from all 
the waiters and attendants in the White Mountain hotels. On the 
whole, my impression of the American people has been hitherto far 
more agreeable than I expected. One gentleman, at Centre House, 
held forth upon the backwardness of England, and about her insti- 
tutions having been stationary for the last two hundred years. I 
asked him whether he had ever visited the country, and upon his 
allowing he had not, I advised him to defer making up his opinion 
until he had had a fair opportunity of judging. I do not think his no- 
tions were sympathized with by those who were around us. The ever- 
lasting rocking-chairs among the ladies make me quite dizzy, and give 
me a sea-sick feelins: : and the custom raises an idea of want of ra- 
tional occupation, without even the doubtful satisfoction of a ' dolce 
far niente^ The broad English farmer-like pronunciation is also un- 
pleasant to English ears; but good-humour and the laws of kindness 
have prevailed wherever I have yet been, united to a higher general 
intelligence than among the majority of our population. The differ- 
ence between us appears to be that our highest classes have more 
principle, elegance, and refinement ; the women more energy and 
activity, and the men more athletic amusements ; while our middle 
and lower classes are less highly educated, perhaps rather more nar- 
row minded, and physically, work harder ; although, in some respects, 
I think the Americans wear themselves out sooner, particularly those 



40 THE PROFILE HOUSE. 

occupied in manufactures or mercantile affairs. The race and the 
appearance of horses is an example which runs through everything 
here. There are none so perfect as our most perfect ; but the ani- 
mals generally go better, and are better fed than second or third-rate 

horses in England. I had a pleasant walk with Mr. T , who was 

very kind in helping me over difficulties, and patient in waiting while 
I drew or hunted for plants. I found Trilliums in seed, and the 
roots of some kind of Epiphyte, and a beautiful little creeping ever- 
green [Chioffcnes) on the rotten trunks of trees; many other forms 
were new to my eyes. The party who went up the mountain have 
returned, excepting one lady and some gentlemen, who determined 
to pass the night in a little hotel there, to see the sun rise. All were 
much fatigued, and a storm of wind and a foggy morning disappoint- 
ed those who had adventured an uncomfortable night. 

August 23. — My acquaintances invited me to join a party often 
in an open char-a-hanc to go on to the Profile House, about twenty 

five miles, at Franconia. We started as soon as Mrs, P came 

down from Mount Washington, about three o'clock. The drive was 
beautiful, just our Highlands upon rather a greater scale as to forests 
and torrents; with mountains about the height of those round Brae- 
mar. Smoke rose in all directions from the burning trees. We 
passed close to one of considerable size, which was on fire at the bot- 
tom, with flames creeping up the trunk and peeping out of holes. It 
was dark before we reached the Profile House, an hotel built, as 
usual in this country, upon a very large scale ; the saloon or drawing- 
room I should imagine at least thirty-eight feet square, and the din- 
ing-room sixty feet long. There are probably eighty travellers ac- 
commodated here at this moment. Streams of visitors usually suc- 
ceed each other for about three months ; but during the rest of the 
year few people come to this mountainous district. After breakfast 
to-day, our party set off" in the char-a-hanc with four horses, to see 
the waterfalls and the Valley of the Flume ; passing by the moun- 
tain Profile and lake. A legend is attached to the latter, which says, 
that all who rise early enough may see the old man of the mountain 
take his bath in the lake. The scenery round the Flume House is 
so fine, that I mean to remove there, five miles from hence, to-mor- 



FOREST FIRES. 47 

row ; and I shall join an American acquaintance, Miss F , who 

has been much in England, and who likes drawing and rambling as 
much as I do. I shall be the more willing to exchange my quarters, 
as the friends I have travelled with from Lake Winnipiseogee re- 
turn to their homes at Boston to-morrow. This afternoon we rowed 
upon the Echo Lake, and heard all its reverberations of horns, and 
cannon, and voices, which are very clear and distinct. It is a 'pond' 
of no great size, but deep — very deep. Before tea I walked to Pro- 
file Lake to finish a sketch, and look for flowers. I found a very 
sweet and pretty yellow Utricularia, quite new to me, growing at the 
edge of the water ; and I also picked a copper-coloured cotton-grass 
to-day, near the Flume House, besides a beautiful little creeping 
plant in the woods. To-night, the forest is on fire upon a mountain 
just above this house ; the sight is grand, but rather terrific. These 
fires are believed to ^arise from carelessness, or, perhaps, occasionally 
from some spirit of wanton mischief. They can only be extinguished 
by heavy rain ; and now the underwood is so very dry, much dam- 
age may be done. I suppose the flames we have been watching may 
be at two miles' distance; but if the wind should rise and drive them 
down towards this hotel, I should be alarmed for its safety ; being 
erected entirely of wood, sparks falling upon it would be very danger- 
ous. For some days past we have observed these forest fires in many 
directions. Sometimes they are intentional, to make clearings, but 
in general they are regretted ; and I feel grieved at the destruction 
of the beautiful trees and underwood which thirty years' growth cannot 
replace. 

As the weather continues so enjoyable for mountain exercises, I 
propose to remain at the Flume till Monday next ; then, probably, 
we shall take the railroad, ten miles from thence, and visit Lake 
George, if I hear that Mr. T is there ; or else I may go by Mon- 
treal to Quebec, putting ofi" the Falls of Niagara until after my re- 
turn, as I am told that brilliant autumn tints will add to the pictu- 
resque effect, and if possible increase the splendour of Niagara. This 
evening a German gentleman played on the piano in the large room, 
with the usual taste and musical knowledge of his country, and some 



48 PROFILE HOUSE. 

young ladies and gentlemen waltzed quietly and gracefully. All the 
travellers I fall in with are civil and obliging. I have not had as yet 
the least reason to complain of want of attention from either master 
or servants. I am told I may be less fortunate as we travel further 
west or south ; but hitherto none of ray own little preparations or 
conveniences against travelling difficulties have been in requisition ; 
the only thing I miss is good household bread. There seems to be 
no such article in use ; nothing but new soft rolls and biscuits, and 
buckwheat cakes, which are so like our pancakes, that I mistook 
them for something of that kind. So much for eatables. As to 
drinkables, I have hardly observed any one gentleman or lady take 
any other beverage than iced-water, milk, or tea. It is said that all 
classes of men make great use of brandy, but I have not seen any of 
it drunk ; and as to smoking, it is not more general here than in Eng- 
land. It is not made half as disagreeable as in Germany. 

Yours affectionately, 

A. M. M. 

P. S. — This letter will be conveyed to Boston to morrow morn- 
ing. I have not any time to read over what I have written, there- 
fore repetitions are probable. I have little chance of hearing from 
England till I reach Canada, and the month since I left it appears 
four times as "long, from having already seen so many new faces 
and fresh places. Very little public news has reached me, and I feel 
anxious about the Baltic fleet, particularly as I hear that cases of 
cholera have occurred on board the St. Jean d^icre. 



LETTER YI. 



PLEASANT RAMBLES 



Flitme HorsB, "White Mountains, New > 
HAMPSniRE, U. S. August 25. S 

My Deau Friends, — 

I came here yesterday from the Profile House, in one of the 
usual char-d-bancs ; some friends went the other way on their return 
home, but I found all my new compagnons de voyage obliging and 
agreeable. As the distance was only five or six miles, I requested 
to be left to sketch rocks and a waterfall by the roadside, about half 
of that distance, where the mountain-torrent has worn the granite 
into a singular bowl. After trying almost fruitlessly to give some 
idea of the place, I enjoyed a pleasant walk through the still and 
tranquil forest, with a sense of the most perfect security. No fear of 
Indian tomahawk, or wild or uncivil or riotous human beings ; no>. 
a reptile of any kind to prevent me from going into the bush and 
bog after flowers ; even bears are now hardly ever seen in these woods, 
though it is said that one has made its way to a patch of corn near 
this house. I think there is no positive proof that some tamer ani- 
mal was not the marauder. When I reached this hotel, I found 

R comfortably settled, and my things in a pleasant room with 

a verandah, looking upon an extensive view on two sides. I have 
both windows wide open all night, without feeling any draught, 
though I sleep betvreen them ; and yet I have felt no heat so op- 
pressive as that of a warm summer's day in England. 



60 ' THE FLUME.' 

August 2G. — Yesterday, I much enjoyed the fine scenery. A 
lady who has passed some time in England went out to draw with 

me ; and after dinner, Di-. and Mrs. B , both kind and 

pleasant people, accompanied us in another ramble. What is called 
' the Flume' is very fine ; and the w^aters being so low, there is no 
difiiculty in walking up the bed of the torrent. Enormous tables of 
granite rock, apparently without a flaw for twenty yards together, 
bed the stream in an easy ascent to a rocky gorge, w^here an im- 
mense boulder, almost circular, hangs suspended overhead, jammed 
in between two cliffs. How fine it must be, when the water roars 
down this chasm ! thouo-h a drouorht now enables us to see the chan- 
nel more completely ; and at another point called the Dell, a steep 
descent brings one dow^n to a pool of twenty or thirty feet in depth, 
clear as crystal ; here, a rude boat has been established by an old 
man and his wife, with their son ; for this little emerald-coloured 
mountain ' tarn' is of sufficient size to paddle about in it. 

The larger drawing-room in this hotel, is fitted up with every 
comfort, and there is an excellent piano. The evening party was 
large, perhaps from forty to fifty ; an elephant well manufactured 
out of two bipeds walked in to amuse the children ; one of the house- 
attendants played quadrilles very fairly on the violin ; two sets were 
made up for dancing : some young ladies also sang in tune and 
very sweetly together. Attached to both this house and the Notch, 
there are bowling-alleys under cover, where ladies and gentlemen 
can take exercise and amusement in wet weather. On the whole, I 
doubt whether in England as large and heterogeneous a society ac- 
cidentally gathered together, would conduct itself with so much good 
humour and propriety as that which I find here. All converse with- 
out introduction, yet I have seen nothing like forwardness or vulgar- 
ity of manner : though there is a degree of restraint and stiff'ness, I 
find myself much more at home than I should be in any hotel, either 
on the Continent of Europe or in the British Isles — it is more like 
the freedom of a very large country-house in England. This pecu- 
liarity of American manners I have never heard mentioned — and it 
is certainly a striking one. I hear the gong going its rounds to 



THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 51 

awaken tlie sleeping, as we breakfast at seven o'clock, and at as early 
as six a gong is sounded ; the same custom prevailed at the Profile 
House, which belongs to the person who has this hotel also. I go 
to bed at nine or soon after, and get up with the light. 

Avgiist 20. — We had rain yesterday, the first which has fallen 
in this mountain region for three months ; and it gave me an op- 
portunity of seeing how a wet day is got through, here. After 
breakfast, there was a great deal of agreeable music, to which the 
whole company listened with enjoyment ; two or three young ladies 
and one gentleman sang duets and trios and lively songs very w^ell. 
Afterwards, a large party adjourned to the house appropriated to 
bowling : there are three alleys, and slides for the return of balls ; 
the game was played with sides : it is a good exercise. After join- 
ing in one game, I left them, the weather having rather improved, 
and went out with my umbrella and sketch-book, — as I was anxious 
to see a view overlooking the house. I got drenched, but succeeded 
in my wishes, and after dressing, I went down stairs to a comfortable 
wood-fire in one of the smaller parlours. Before tea there was some 
needlework going on, a whist-table (but no one plays for money 
here), and a young lady played nursery songs at the piano, six little 
children belonging to diflferent visitors joining their voices in the 
choruses, one as young as four, but all were in tune, and seemed to 
enjoy it much. After tea, there was again music and dancing, and 
I j^layed a rubber of whist with two gentlemen and a lady till bed- 
time. One of the gentlemen had lent me a Boston paper contain- 
ing the last news from Europe, by which it appears that the Island 
of Aland and the Crimea are both under attack. Some of the people 
here are Southerners, and two families have black nurses. 

These mountains attract visitors from all parts of the Union, and 
I have no doubt the summer meetings — either here, at Newport, 
Nahant, Saratoga, or the Virginia Springs — tend much to promote 
acquaintanceship and good feeling among the diflferent States, whicli 
vary so much in their internal laws and regulations. Bigamy i^ 
severely punished in nearly all, while polygamy has been hitherto 
not only permitted but encouraged among the Mormons. Yet I 



62 THE MORMONS. 

am told that the Moi-raon delegate to Congress is thought a sensible 
and intelligent man, though he has seven wives ! but it seems to be 
hoped that much time vnll not elapse before the immorality and 
absurdities introduced by Smith and Young, and hitherto enforced 
upon their deluded followers, will be cast off. At present their pol- 
ity is a kind of spiritual despotism ; yet it is generally admitted that 
their community is orderly and very industrious ; though as no man 
can leave his property to his children or relations, it falls to the 
church upon his death, and the accumulation of such riches must 
strengthen the power of the priestly Mormons, and enable them to 
keep their peoj^le in subjection for a considerable time to come. I 
do not yet understand how this accumulation of property is to be 
applied. 

August 27. — There is a chapel here, which is used if any cler- 
gyman who is travelling can do duty ; but that not being the case 
to-day, service was not read. No church is within an accessible 
number of miles. After dinner, two or three families, consisting of 
seventeen individuals, went away for the purpose of sleeping to-night 
at Plymouth, twenty-five miles distant, to catch a railroad there 
early to-morrow, or, as it is here expressed, 'to meet the cars.' 
Nearly all the travellers and inmates gathered at the door to see 
the party off, and to wish them good-bye, although many had met 
here for the first time in their lives. Greater cordiality and kindness 
of feeling was evinced on this occasion than I ever saw before among 
people so new to each other. But I am told that in hotels in and 
near great tow^ns, there is little of that frankness and cordiality which 
have so pleasingly impressed me at the White Mountains. 

The weather was again fine to-day, and in the afternoon I walked 
alone up the Flume. It is the bed of a torrent which comes down 
a very picturesque defile: now, while the water is low, one can 
walk along the wide, smooth, granite tabular rocks, which during 
the winter are covered by the foaming waters. I never saw such 
huge masses of granite before : it is very white and large grained ; 
and as I saw no mica, I suppose it may be sienite. When I re- 
turned home, some of the people had got what they called a hedge- 



If 



WELLS RIVER. 53 

hog, just caught in the woods ; I did not see it very near, but as it 
was the size of a small pig, I conclude it must have been some species 
of porcupine. 

August 28. — This morning Miss F and I got to the top of 

Pemmewhasset, a mountain above this house, from which there is a 
charming view up and down the valley of the Saca. The ascent 
was gradual and easy, but we did not reach the Hotel again till 
long after dinner-time ; and though we met a party going up on 
horseback, we did not regret having trusted to our own feet, which 
is much pleasanter than riding, and enables one to look after plants, 
besides which, I feel more safe, and by sitting down frequently to 
rest, the fatigue is not very much greater than on horseback. After 
our return, the weather cleared sufficiently for me to see an exten- 
sive view of the valley from my window, which has hitherto been 
hid by smoke and clouds ; and I made a sketch from the verandah. 
The coach brought many more visitors, among them a Mr. and Mrs. 

C , from the South, who will go on with me to-morrow as far 

as Plymouth, and I am by and bye to try if I can visit them at 
Appalachicola, in Florida. 

August 29. — I proceed this morning after breakfast, at eight 
o'clock, for Burlington, going round by Plymouth instead of Lyttle- 
ton, to avoid returning ten miles by the same route which brought 
me here ; and I thus see the Saco valley, which I am told is beau- 
tiful. 

August 30. — Wells River^ New Hampshire. — This is so pretty 
a place, that I determined to stop here at three o'clock yesterday, 
and go on to-morrow by the eleven o'clock cars, v/hich will reach 
Burlington by five. I have a letter to the Bishop of Vermont, who 
lives within a mile or two of that place ; it is on Lake Champlain. 
The weather is again perfect. I spent all yesterday evening walking 
about and sketching. The people here vie with one another in 
kindness and civility, yet I have been troubled with nothing unpleas- 
antly obtrusive. From the Flume House we came hither in a coach, 
with six active horses well driven in hand. It carried eighteen pas- 
sengers, nine inside and nine outside. The road, through deep sand, 



54 BURLINGTON. 

runs nearly the whole way by the River Saco, the same we passed 
at Conway. I am told it flows into the sea somewhere near Port- 
land, and that this valley is not that of Merrimac, but Saco. The 
Merrimac river is the outpouring of Lake Winnipiseogee. We had 
observed it flowing by Dover, &c., as we came from Boston ; it is a 

handsome river. Mr. and Mrs. C , from the South, and six 

other ladies, all agreeable people,. were my companions in the coach 
to Plymouth. "We dined there ; they took the cars for Boston, and 

R and I for this place. A smaller and a larger river unite" 

here; the Indian name of one is Ammonoosuc. I hope I may find 
out the translation of it, for these Indian names have always some 
beautiful meaning. The two railroad stations are almost close together: 
one is called Woodsville, and another Wells River depot — the word 
used in America. The hills around, well wooded, but w^ith openings 
and rocks enough to be picturesque, are tossed about in every direc- 
tion. All this country is called granitic on Marcou's geological 
map ; but we passed through a cutting yesterday which looked 
more like something Silurian ; it might have been a mica schist of 
some kind. The breakfast hour here is half-past six ; and before I 
start for Burhngton by the eleven o'clock cai*s, Mr. Wild, the master 
of this Wells House Hotel (he was born and brought up in the 
White Mountains, between the JSTotch and Profile Houses), offers to 
show me the rapids of the Connecticut River. 

Auffust 31. — Burlington. — I had a pleasant, though hot and 
dusty journey here yesterday. Notwithstanding the frequent chang- 
ing of cars, which occurs sometimes four or five times in a distance 
of about 120 miles, I prefer the American mode of travelling in long 
cars, to that upon our railroads. I have as yet seen no great care- 
lessness, except that of crossing the roads with no other warning 
than large boards overhead, on each side with a notice to ' Look out 
for the Engine,' in large letters — (about Boston ^tvhile the bell rings'' 
is added) ; and it is the duty of the fireman, or the conductor, before 
and after passing every crossway, to ring a large bell, which swings 
above his head; but from Plymouth here, I have heard none of 
these bells. The long cars, which on an average carry sixty each, 



CONNKCTIOUT RIVER. 55 

are comfortable ; you may turn two seats so as to face each other ; 
and though they are intended to accommodate two or three each, 

E, and I, by taking possession in time, have always been left 

to ourselves ; and even if you have a dirty or disagreeable neigh- 
bour, it is not half so bad at any time as the Rhine steam-boats — for 
no smoking is allowed in these cars. They are very airy, and have 
comfortable seats. There is a sense of security, too, in the greater width 
and solidity, and the power of ready communication with every part 
of the train. I may change ray opinion, but hitherto I have found 
travelling in the American cars less fatiguing than in our railroad 
carriages. 

I gained some information from Mr. Wild, in our walk to the 

rapids before leaving Wells River. R and I set off with him 

about half-past nine o'clock. When we got to the descent through 
thick forest down to the river, she was obliged to give up the 
attempt, having got some flowers for me, and too much in her hands 
for the scrambling necessary. Between the drought and the fir- 
choppings, it was so slippery that even Mr. Wild fell two or three 
times ii; giving me assistance; and I was often obliged to take to 
my hands and knees, from not being able to keep upon my feet ; 
however, I got down to the edge of the river. The Connecticut 
widens out here, looking almost like a lake, and then rushes 
through such a narrow gorge between rocks, that an active hunter 
might leap his horse from one side to the other. In winter, it must 
be a fine rush ; at present, the river is so low that it can get through 
the passage quietly enough. I find that three rivers meet at this 
point, I thought there were only two. I suppose, therefore, ' Three 
Rivers.' which I found marked upon a map I have, is the right name 
of the place. 

We returned only just in time for the eleven o'clock train ; and 
as there is no other for Burlington, to have missed this one would have 
been inconvenient. I never had such a beautiful drive as that through 
the whole country to Lake Champlain. As far as White River 
junction, it follows the Connecticut for fifty miles, and then the 
White River. The scenery may be compared alternately to that of 



66 RATTLESNAKES. 

the Tay, the Tweed, and tlie Tamar, but still finer than all ; with 
gardens, ornamental trees, relieved by maples now getting their 
scarlet liveries, foregrounds of maize and brilliant orange pumpkins, 
and every now and then a column of white smoke rising from the 
forest fires. These Vermont Mountains are not higher than those 
around Blair and Invercauld, so that they never rise into the 
gigantic peaks of the Swiss Alps ; but they are very lovely. 

On reachin<r Burlino;ton, thouQ-h nearly dark, the master 
of the hotel provided me with a safe little carriage to drive 
out to the Bishop of Vermont's, about two miles' distance. I found 
him with his family, and received an obliging invitation to spend the 
next day with them. There is not much to be seen at Burlington. 
I have heard of its beauty, but, with the exception of the lake, it 
seems a sandy, uninteresting place, — the lake itself looking like a 
sea ; and it would take seven or eight hours to steam rapidly down 
it. I find myself in a comfortable, large hotel, Avell provided in all 

respects. At ten o'clock, I walked with R out to the Bishop's. 

I did not see a great many flowers on our way, owing to the vege- 
tation being so burned up ; but I found fine trees of the black oak, 
covered with acorns with large bumpy cups : the ' pigeon grass ' (so 
called here), and a pretty little vetch. I made a sketch of the lake, 
and of Burlington, from the Bishop's verandah — a fine eagle soar- 
ing about as an accessory to the view ; and, after an early dinner, 
we walked down to a beautiful little rocky bathing bay, where the 
children disport themselves in the water without the least fear or 
danger. Growing among sand and rocks, a j^retty Iris in seed. 
Whether unknown in England or not, I cannot tell ; but in going 
through a rocky copse, I gathered a fern, and several things new to 
my eyes; and on the shore I picked up some fresh-water shells. 
I understand there are rattlesnakes in one or two spots in this neigh- 
bourhood, but it seems they have so large a bump of 'locality,' that 
they remain as constant to particular spots as flowers to their habi- 
tats. So that, unless one goes to visit them, there is no danger of 
making their acquaintance ; therefore I shall always inquire their 
whereabouts. I did not take my leave till near eight o'clock at 
night. 



QUEBEC. 67 

September 2. — Quebec, Spencer Wood. — As I left Burlington in 
the steamer, to take the cars at Roches Point, by four o'clock in the 
morning, arrived at Montreal by eleven, and left for Quebec at seven 

in the evening, I had no time for writing, yesterday. Dr. L , 

the professor and a clergyman, Avas so obliging as to take me a plea- 
sant drive round the heights, from whence we had a fine view of the 
St. Lawrence River and the neighbourhood. I visited the Roman 
Catholic church and the Museum, where I saw some stuffed speci- 
mens of the wild beasts which are now becoming extinct in the woods 
of this part of Canada. I saw also a specimen of a small owl which 
is peculiar to these parts. 

Before seven o'clock we went on board the steamer, which was 
very full of passengers for Quebec. Among them a party of squaws 
and Indian boys from some tract bordering upon this great river : 
they had a large assortment of neat and showy handiworks in beads 
for sale — gentlemen's travelling caps, bags, slippers, and watch-cases, 
and seemed to be very shrewd and cautious in carrying on their 
bargains, though I could not make them understand either French 
or English. I do not know when they ' absquatulated ' (to use a Far 
West expression), but as we stopped several times during the night, 
and I did not see them afterwards, I suppose they landed some- 
where. We did not undress. As some individuals of our large 
party in the ladies' cabin were talking or moving about at all times 
during the night, we could only get snatches of sleep in our berths ; 
and I thought this night's voyage so tiresome and tedious, that with 
the first dawn of light I went on deck; but owing to the great 
width of the river, and the steamer keeping in mid-channel, we 
were not close enough to either shore to make her progress interest- 
ing. I think the St. Lawrence is nearly as wide as Ullswater is long, 
and it is difficult to realize that we are traversing a river instead of 
crossing a lake. I saw very little shipping till we arrived at Quebec 
— a few lumber schooners, at anchor here and there, but nothing 
sailing; very diff"erent this from the liveliness of the sea around 
Beverley and Salem. 

The population of Quebec and Montreal, upon a first inspection 
4 



68 SPENCER WOOD. 

does not look so well-to-do and thriving as that of Boston, and some 
other American cities ; this may be partly owing to the prevalence 
of Roman Cathohcs here, just as one finds it in Europe. Where 
that persuasion has the ascendency, the people are either stationary 
or retrograde ; and in Quebec there are more churches and more 
beggars than in any other place I have yet seen on this side the 
Atlantic. Indeed, I never met a beggar in Boston — not even 
among the Irish ; and ladies have told me they could not find a 
poor family on whom to exercise their benevolent feelings. "We 
arrived at this place by breakfast time : it has a thoroughly English 
appearance, with a splendid view of the St. Lawrence from the 
windows. 

Lord Elgin tells me this is the day for the letters to go, so I must 
conclude hastily ; and, as there is rain, I shall probably do little more 
to-day than stay indoors and rest myself. 

Yours affectionately, 

A. M. M. 



LETTER VII. 



QUEBEC. 



Spexcek "Wood, Quebec, > 
Sept. 2, 1S54. j 

My Dear Friends, 

I suspect that the end of the letter which I sent off yester- 
day, just after my arrival, was dated the 3rd instead of the 1st: my 
notions about days and dates are rather confused, from having been 
very little in bed since Wednesday night. I find now that my letter 
written a week ago from Wells River, to fix the day of my coming 
here, never reached Lord Elgin : the American post-office does not 
appear to be as exact or as well-regulated as ours. I hope you re- 
ceive all my packets ? I think this will be the fifth or sixth letter I 
have sent oft'. I generally write about one a fortnight — but not a 
fine from you yet, or from any one in England, excepting a letter I 

have got from Mr. S , dated August 2nd ; but despatches from 

home are expected to-day, and I hope to get something. This 
morning, at seven o'clock, it is still thick and rainy — I cannot even 
see the St. Lawrence from my window ; and all day yesterday we 
had a large coal fire. September is considered the last of the sum- 
mer months in Canada ; and with the leaves still green, the 
weather looks and feels, at present, very like a mild November in 
England. 

This is a large house, with a good conservatory, and handsome 



60 A COMPARISON. 

reception-rooms, though they are considered low for their size. The 
fields and turf look as green as in England — the first bit of fresh- 
looking grass I have seen these three weeks. At Montreal there 
was not the least appearance of verdure, and very few trees, even 
immediately about the town, though the villas and the hills are well 
wooded. I found that place prettier than I expected ; but it must 
be an uninteresting residence, as there appears to be but one drive 
around the hill at the back. A bridge on the tubular principle, 
which will be the largest in the world, is begun ; it is to unite the 
town with the railroad over the St. Lawrence ; I was told that 1600 
workmen are already employed in its construction. It is the under- 
taking of an English company, and may vie with our Crystal Palace 
in the enterprise and skill it will call forth. 

Lord Elgin is much occupied just now by the opening of the new 
Canadian Parliament, on the 6th ; and of course the party spirit, 
and agitation, and jealousy which the reform and enlargement of 
that body have excited is unbounded. Every one wants to do and 
to be everything ; and though to an impartial stranger it is a diffi- 
cult matter to comprehend what these people would be at, yet it is 
interesting to observe the efforts of a young nation to make use of a 
newly-acquired power. It resembles the first attempts of an infant 
to exercise its legs — eager, awkward, and almost alarming, though 
necessary and salutary to gain habit, future strength, and experience ; 
but as patience and temper are required from a good nui-se when 
her child begins to walk alone ; so even the calmness and placabil- 
ity of Lord Elgin is likely to be severely tried by his wayward 
children here — they may even quarrel with their own bread-and- 
butter, to begin with. 

Sept. 3. — Monday. — I had a day of repose yesterday. The 
gentlemen went off early to their official duties, and I was very glad 
to rest myself, and gather up my thoughts a little. We dined at 
seven, and I went early to bed. This morning an English mail ar- 
rived, and we got letters. Cholera seems worse in England than I 
had any idea of; that complaint has abated here. In the afternoon, 
Lord Elgin drove me in his phaeton to tin 'Cathedral at Quebec — a 



QUEBEC. 61 

large respectable building, with a good organ, remarkably well 
played, and the singing led by the pleasing voices of young Quebec 
ladies and gentlemen. After church, we walked on the platform 
overlooking the St. Lawrence, where there is an extensive and beau- 
tiful view. Before going home we called to inquire after a sick 

young lady at Sir H. C 's, and saw another fine view of Quebec, 

Avith its mountains and river; w^e walked back from thence two 
miles to Spencer Wood. The Sunday amusement of young men 
here seems to be driving about httle gigs, or wagons as they are 
called, in the most reckless and furious way possible : it seemed to 
me as if they would knock down even their Governor-General with- 
out the least compunction, if he happened to be in their way ! 

Septemhcr 5. — I did not write yesterday. In the morning I was 
absorbed by a file of English newspapers down to the eighteenth of last 
month. Alas 1 social questions seem to be still made of secondary im- 
portance by the war. Not a word about the erring children, so I conclude 
nothing has been done to save them from deeper crime. A young man 
of twenty, at Dartmoor, has made a most furious and savage attempt 
on the life of one of the keepers. Ten years ago that man was a child — 
who but the Parent State is to blame that he is now a murderer ? 

September 6. — In the afternoon of yesterday, I spent three bom's 
botanizing. There are some interesting plants in a wood not far 
distant, particularly some ferns, worth transplanting into our English 
gardens. The Governor-General opened the Parliament to-day ; 
but as he leaves them to choose their Speaker, preparatory to his 
speech being delivered to-morrow, I put off going till then. I went 
to call upon a lady to whom I had a letter of introduction: she 
lives for the present (while out of town) at a cottage within a walk 
of this place, where I found a garden with some interesting plants 
of this country, and one of the most venerable-looking paper birch 
trees I have yet seen, for they have generally been straight and of 
no great size ; this has many arms branching to the ground. Mrs. 

M told me that only yesterday a humming-bird came to the 

creeper near her window. I did not know they were found so far 
north ; and I have not yet been so fortunate as to see one. 

A Mr. Sicotte has been elected Speaker, upon the principle (as 



65 A PARADOX. 

far as I can understand it) by which the Americans most usually 
elect their Presidents. Neither party being able to secure the elec- 
tion of their own man, they unite in voting for an individual not 
popular with either ; so that in practice a popular election makes an 
unpopular choice — what a paradox ! Each individual voter saying 
to himself, ' If I am not to have my own man, no one else shall have 
his man ; ' and so nobody's man is the man chosen — is not this an 
odd practice ? A very stormy «ight — thunder and lightning, and 
rain — very cold, too. How lucky we have been that the bad wea- 
ther has kept off till now, when, in a comfortable house with a bright 
fire, we can rest; and, enjoying the retrospect of past sunshine, look 
forward to an Indian summer for Niagara. 

September 7. — Another cold and gloomy-looking morning, so I 
wrote letters, hoping for sunshine by three o'clock, when we were to 
go to Quebec to hear the Governor-General make his speech to the 
Canadian Parliament. The weather cleared up in the middle of the 

day ; Captain H • drove me into the town, and Colonel I 

placed me with Mrs. and Miss I in the gallery of the concert- 
room, where the Canadian Parliament has assembled since their ow^n 
houses were burned. The whole place was crammed, and in the 
gallery were nearly as many ladies as gentlemen ; the assembly 
showing the most breathless interest. Behind the throne there is a 
reporters' gallery; before it a table and chairs for judges, of whom 
Mr. Bowen is the oldest in the Queen's dominions. On each side 
were rows of double desks, covered with crimson, two members sit- 
ting at each ; and as they choose then* own seats, and retain them, 
a man can have his particular friend by him during the session — an 
advantage, particularly in this country. The ceremony is much like 
that in England. Guns are fired when the Governor arrives. He 
read the speech well and most distinctly, first in English, and then 
in French, the House of Deputies standing at the Bar. I thought 
Lord Elgin was well received, an air of great respect pervading, and 
I heard applause as he went out. His great ability, united as it is 
with firmness, and the most straightforward character possible, has 
been of infinite value to this rising country; although party feelirig 



QUEBEC. 63 

and the tempers of a few disappointed spirits, aided by an ill-written 
and abusive Press, in some measure dim the brilliancy of his career; 
or rather misrepresent it at this moment. 

September 8. — At twelve o'clock last night, I returned from 
Quebec, after sitting almost nine hours, watching the proceedings of 
the House of Deputies with so much interest that, for the time, I 
was neither hungry nor tired. The order of the day — an Address 
upon the Governor-General's speech ; but this was not brought for- 
ward at all during my stay, so what happened after twelve o'clock 
remains to be seen ; but it appeared to me the business they had in 
hand was enough to occupy them during the whole of their first sit- 
ting. A Rouge member took precedence, by a motion to the effect 
that a certain Timothy Brodeur, a unanimously returned member 
for the district of Bagot, having illegally acted as returning officer 
after his election, and thus returned himself — the said Timothy 
Brodeur was illegally seated ; and the motion therefore went on to 
summon Timothy the returning ofiicer to the Bar of the House, to 
be questioned as to whether he was Timothy Brodeur, Esq., who was 
elected member for Bagot, or not. This motion was opposed by the 
lawyers attached to the Government ; first, because they knew nothing 
about the case ; secondly, because they affirmed it was an act of tyr- 
anny to oblige the said Timothy to give evidence against himself, 
without any previous notice ; and, thirdly, because Timothy Brodeur 
the member not being proved legally to be Timothy the returning 
officer, it would be a breach of Parliamentary privilege to order a 
member to the Bar without first proving him to be the person required. 
Both sides of the House, however, admitted there was but one Timothy ; 
and it seemed to me, upon a simple, unlearned view of the case, that 
there was a great deal of quibbling and special pleading ; so that I, 
as an unprejudiced observer, should have voted with the Opposition 
against the Ministry ; and I imagine Mr. Hincks, the prime minister, 
was not very well satisfied with the grounds upon which his col- 
leagues were battling, for he kept out of the way as much as possible, 
and took no part in the long debate which followed. There were 
several divisions, in all of which the Ministry were beat by a major- 



64 THE HOUSE OF DEPUTIES. 

ity of tweuty-foiir or twenty-five ; apparently, the question was not 
if Timothy should be questioned at all, but whether he should have 
time to answer whether he was the real Simon Pure, or not ? And 
the fight seemed to be about the words 'immediately,' or 'to-morrow,' 
or ' next day.' I imagine that in England the whole afl:air would 
have been referred to a Committee of Privileges, and not have been 
allowed to stand in the way of the xiddress upon the Queen's Speech ; 
but there appears such a determination in the majority to turn out 
the present Ministry, that perhaps it prefers to show its strength 
upon this question (which does not touch upon the Governor- 
General's speech at all, and who does not even know the circum- 
stances which gave rise to it), than upon the Address itself. But of 
course this is only my conjecture, founded on the difficulty, that any 
truly patriotic Canadian could grumble at the speech delivered from 
the Throne on Wednesday last. It was more than half-past ten 
o'clock before Timothy was fairly brought to the Bar of the House. 
First the Serjeant-at-Arms was sent to summon him ; but Timothy 
only shook his head and remained unmoved, (having the whole 
evening heard the complaints and borne the attacks against himself 
in the most silent and imperturbable manner.) Then the House 
felt its dignity insulted, and another motion was carried, to the effect 
that the Speaker should make out his warrant for the arrest of the 
contumacious Timothy ; and lastly, the Serjeant-at-Arms, removing 
the mace from the table, walked up with it to the contumacious 
member, who then followed quietly to the Bar, and stood there 
looking simple and innocent as a lamb — a gentle-looking old man, 
unable, I suspect, to speak English ; perhaps he only half understood 
the business, after all. He admitted that he was Timothy Brodeur, 
Esq., the member, and also Timothy Brodeur, the returning ofBcer ; 
and that he was to be paid twenty pounds for executing the latter 
office in his own favor ; but he said the money had never been paid 
to him. After this I came away, leaving Mr. Brodeur in the midst 
of his questioning ; and as the Opposition hinted at two other cases 
of the same kind they meant to bring forward, it was hardly possible 
the Answer to the address could be debated this morning, so I hope 
to hear it still. 



65 

The use of the two languages, at the pleasure of the different 
members alternately and indifferently, had a curious eflfect to me. 
Sometimes a member, after speaking in French, was asked to repeat 
in English what he had said in French, and vice versa. It seems 
that many of the new members understand only one language, and 
this must complicate affairs considerably. The manner in which 
divisions are taken is good in a small assembly, but it would occupy 
too much time in our House of Commons. The Noes stand up, and 
a clerk calls over their names to be written down at the table, and 
then the same process is gone through with the Ayes. This is ad- 
vantageous for a stranger, as it identifies each member. 

September 9. — Another cold showery da}^, and I preferred walk- 
ing into Quebec to going in a carriage, having had no exercise 
yesterday. I called on Mrs. Mountain, the wife of the Bishop of 
Quebec, who sat by me at dinner here on Wednesday ; and then 

Captain H took me from Judge ]3owen's into the House of 

Deputies. There was great excitement, for the news had become 
generally spread that the Ministers had resigned, and that Sir Allen 
M'Nab was forming a new Government. This was confirmed, im- 
mediately after the House met, by Mr. Hincks himself, who moved 
that the orders of the day should be postponed till Monday, in con- 
sequence of the resignation of the Ministers ; and then spoke for 
some time. He gave a sketch of all that had occurred during his 
tenure of office which bore upon the state of parties ; alluded slightly 
to the numerous measures for the improvement of the people and the 
prosperity of Canada which had been originated and carried out 
during the six years he had administered public affairs ; spoke feel- 
ingly of the base attacks which had been levelled at his character; 
and of the desertion of some former adherents who had played a 
base and double-dealing game, differing from the open and honest 
opposition which had characterized the conduct of other men whose 
motives he respected. Mackenzie, that little Celtic-looking deputy 
who was one of the leaders of the rebellion, had removed from his 
own seat, and placed himself in an arm-chair so as to be nearly op- 
posite to Mr. Hincks : he took the opportunity of uttering a loncl 
4* 



66 

' Hear, hear,' upon some observation, wlien tlie speaker, immediately 
looking him full in the face, broke forth into a very powerful, ani- 
mated, and sarcastic exposure of the bitter animosity with which 
Mackenzie had pursued him, showing that he (Mackenzie) uttered 
by various means, and through numerous channels, the most false 
and libellous accusations, and then had ended by becoming his op- 
ponent at the election ; ' but,' continued Mr. Hincks, ' if I have had 
personal enemies, they have been more than counterbalanced by 
devoted friends. I had the satisfaction of polling more than three 
hundred votes when my adversary could only muster twenty-three ; 
and also of being returned for another place, without having asked 
for one suffrage from the electors.' It was generally thought that 
the retiring minister erred only in a too modest appreciation of the 
services of his administration. He merely said that the statute-book 
would show what had been effected during the time he had been 
employed in the service of his country, without even pointing out 
that he received his office when the people were discontented, and 
adverse to the rule of England ; and that he gives it up, leaving 
them rapidly progressing, happy and loyal, with railroads opening 
and opened in all directions ; the most magnificent bridge in the 
world in progress, to connect the opposite shores of the St. LawTcnce; 
matters which have long been the cause of disunion and irritation 
permanently and irrevocably put to rest ; and the revenues of the 
two divisions of Canada trebled in amount. Deeds, not words. Mr. 
Hincks may not have said all he might have said for his own glori- 
fication, or even for the reputation of the Grovernor-G-eneral ; but he 
has left his office, having completed and carried out measures for 
which the Canadians will have reason to bless the rule of Lord 
Elgin as long as their country has a name ; and, before one winter 
has passed over it, I am inclined to believe they will be sensible of 
the benefits which their late minister has been instrumental in secur- 
ing to them, and who, upon looking round their House of Assembly, 
stands almost as superior to his detractors as Sir R. Peel once rose 
above those wdio believed themselves equal to attacking him. The 
Jlouse adjourned till Monday, immediately Mr. Hincks resumed his 



MONSIEUR BKODEUR. 6f 

seat ; and then numerous members — even Cochon and others who 
had been in Opposition — rushed forward to offer their hands : it was 
quite an interesting scene, and I observed tears on the cheeks of 
many. 

I walked back to Spencer Wood over the Plains of Abraham, 
passing Wolfe's Hotel, and other memorials of by-gone events. The 
weather was cold and threatening; we want sunshine much ; but I 
reached home without rain enough to annoy me. Part of the way 
I walked over boarded paths, which are very common about the 
towns instead of flagstone pavement. They are much less fatiguing, 
but more expensive than pavement, as frequent renewal is necessary. 
I have not yet attempted any sketches here. In the first place, the 
air has been cold, and the distances too hazy ; and then I have also 
been occupied by the interest of the present state of affairs. I have 
been very fortunate in arriving just at a crisis which is quite exciting, 
and of course these circumstances enable me to study and to under- 
stand the state of parties and the feelings of the people here, better 

than I could do under the usual routine. Colonel G , who w^as 

a former Secretary to the Governor, is here. He married a Canadian 
lady, and lives wholly among the French Canadians. He tells me 
they are a most amiable people, quite free from bigotry of a proselyt- 
ing kind ; that priests constantly visit at his house, but there never 
has been the least attempt to disturb his Protestant convictions, or 
to evince any irritation upon the subject. He has kindly invited 
me to visit his place of residence, near Montreal, when I leave this : 
and I shall like much to profit by what may be my only opportunity 
of becoming acquainted with the manners and habits of Lower 
Canada, which I believe are in many respects very different from 
those of the Upper Province. 

It seems that poor Monsieur Timothy Brodeur, the cause of all 
the disputes and excitement in the Parliament the day before yester- 
day, is a deputy from Mr. C 's neighbourhood ; that his error has 

been wholly owing to want of knowledge. He was made to come 
forward rather against his own inclination, and has sacrificed his tastes 
and his domestic enjoyments to get into this hot water — poor man ! 



68 INCONSISTENCIES. 

Of course lie is very much annoyed. It seems that most of the busi- 
ness of his return was conducted by another officer, but he unwit- 
tingly signed the paper himself, not being aware of the consequence, 
and the matter was taken up by another French Canadian, who, 
being a JRouge^ wished, I suppose, to spite his quieter countryman ; 
but one thing is certain, that Timothy Brodeur is not likely to attach 
himself to the Rouges after this business. He is an acquaintance of 
the new Speaker, Monsieur Sicotte, who was proposed by the Eouge 
party. By the by, he seems a gentlemanly, quiet man, who con- 
ducts the business pleasantly, and who, I should imagine, will be very 
generally liked by the members, though he seems to have been a man 
little known till he happened to be brought forward on this occasion. 

If this day is fine, I shall make interest with the gardener, and 
get him to accompany me with his spade to a wood near, to dig up 
some ferns, and then I will pack up the roots and send them straight 
to England from hence, which I think may give them a better chance 
of existence than going all round by Boston. 

Lord Elgin is going to have a dinner-party this evening, 
when the twelve retiring ministers will be present. I shall 
have the luck of seeing the two Cabinets all together upon two 
diflerent days — the Outs and the Ins. This will be a fine 
opportunity for speculation. ISTo one yet knows the names of 
the men likely to be put together by Sir Allen M'Nab, who may be 
considered the Lord Derby of Canada ; and he will have a similar 
difiiculty as the one which beset the English Conservatives — for no 
minister can stand here who attempts to preserve the Clergy 
Reserves : whether right or wrong, the people are almost unanimous 
in condemning them. So, as Lord. Derby was obliged, to confirm 
free-trade in opposition to the principles of his life, so Sir Allen 
M'Nab must sacrifice the Clergy Reserves in opposition to his. He 
must select a mixed Cabinet, as his own party is otherwise too weak 
to stand, and nobody seems to know whether he will seek for assist- 
ance from the Rouges or the Whigs ; but, as extremes generally 
meet, perhaps he will prefer the ultra Radicals, with whom he has 
voted to turn out the last Government, rather than ally himself with 



QUEBEC. (»9 

those who have been more provoking, because their opinions were 
not so antagonistic to his own as those of the Rouges. So it is in 
politics as well as in religion. I observe some people are more toler- 
ant of Jews and Mahometans, than they are of Christians who may 
differ only a shade from themselves — ^just as family quarrels are 
the most bitter quarrels of all. One comfort is, the people here have 
not any ground left now upon which they can fight to any very 
mischievous degree ; and this happy agreement they certainly owe, 
in a great measure, to Lord Elgin. As well as I can guess, the 
present change may be attributed to a longing for office in some 
individuals, and a craving for variety in others. People get tired of 
the best thing if they have it always, provided there is any possibil- 
ity of getting something else instead ; and this is one of the many 
advantages of our hereditary monarchy — the complete prevention 
of change for the sake of change. As to purity of election and 
national choice, I have already discovered that neither the one nor 
the other is attained by American institutions, although as a whole, 
for a new country, they work very well ; and I should not imagine 
that the United States would be more prosperous under any other form 
of government than the one they possess ; still, many people assert 
there is now more positive individual liberty in Canada than among 
the Americans. Of this I have, as yet, had no fair means of judging. 
As the post for England goes to-day, I must leave the solution of 
the ministerial crisis here for the next mail, and let this go as it is. 

Yours affectionately, 

a.'m. m. 

The English mail has just arrived, and not one letter for me ! 
I shall probably stay here ten days longer, and it is best that every 
thing should be directed the same until after the 1st of October, 
when my friends must address to New York ; till then, Lord Elgin 
will know best where my letters can be sent. The sun has at last 
appeared, and I am going this afternoon to see the Falls of Mont- 
morenci. I can leave this packet at the office at Quebec in my way. 
I will number my letters from this time, which will enable you to 
tell whether they reach England as regularly as I send them. 



LETTER YIII. 

QUEBEC. 

Spencer "Wood, QirEBEC, * 
. September, 11, 1854. f 

My dear Friexds, — 

After sending off my last letter on Saturday, Lord Elgin's 

carriage took me into Quebec ; and from thence Capt. H drove 

me to see the Falls of Montmorenci. I once heard a waterfall in the 
Isle of Man compared to Montmorenci ; but if there is any likeness, it 
is only that of a dwarf to a giant. The river Montmorenci pours 
down, almost suddenly, more than two hundred feet — a height great- 
er than Niagara. It is received by the magnificent St. Lawrence, 
and the views ten miles up it, to Quebec, and almost as far down, to 
Cape Tourmente, are very fine. The drive home was beautiful. Ow- 
ing to a custom here of roofing churches and houses with tin plates, 
the city of Quebec looked, in the sunset, as if gemmed with diamonds. 
We had a bright, frosty-looking sun, with the air as cold as in No- 
vember, in England. All the ex-ministers dined here to-day. During 
the evening I was told of another place, called Three Rivers, between 
this and Montreal, where some beautiful scenery is accessible. By 
stopping there one day in my way back, I should break the fatiguing 
monotony of another night voyage. 

Sunday^ SeiH. 10. — We went to morning serdce at Quebec; 
very cold drive ; a sharp north-easterly wind. In the afternoon we 
walked to the Protestant Cemetery upon the next point above this 



THE CLERGY RESERVES. 7 1 

place — a beautiful situation. We passed two handsome new cliurclies, 
almost JSnislied, within a quarter of a mile of each other ; one Ro- 
man Catholic, the other Protestant. They w^ere Gothic, built of the 
pleasing coloured grey stone of the country. Though the great mass 
of the population around and in Quebec are Roman Catholics, one 
does not hear of religious disputes ; since Gavazzi excited an uproar 
at Montreal, I believe nothing of that kind has occurred. 

I went to call upon a Canadian lady, near eighty years of age, 
who understands the botany of this country better than any one I 
have met with. In earlier years, during the time of a former Lady 

Dalhousie, Mrs. M acquired this taste from her, and she is quite 

pleased to have it revived. She took me to Quebec, and at three 
o'clock, I went to see the Canadian Parliament assemble. Sir Allan 
M'lSrab was announced as the new minister ; having formed his Gov- 
ernment upon coalition principles, he has taken in all the old minis- 
ters but three ; changing his policy upon the Clergy Reserves, &c., 
&c., from deference to the general voice of this country. Sir Allan 
is perfectly aware that no Government can stand which refuses to 
adjust the Clergy Reserves. It is supposed that there are not now 
ten votes in the House willing to support them. So it seems the 
new Government comes in, only to carry out the \dews of their pre- 
decessors ; a strong proof that this change is only made for the sake 
of something fresh. Of course the new ministers could not take part 
in the debates, as they must be re-elected. Mr. Hincks made a frank 
and clear statement, in refutation of accusations which have been 
freely circulated during the last few days to the effect that he had 
recommended his successor, and sold his party to him. At the same 
time he expressed his intention of supporting the new administration, 
as long as they were willing to carry out good measures. I remained 
in the House till it was time to return to dinner at Spencer Wood ; 
the speeches were generally dull, excepting those of a few, whose 
disappointment and anger, at the result of the changes, created some 
excitement. One speaker actually maintained that any attack out 
of doors upon the character of a prime minister, was sufficient to 
render him unfit to continue in office, because such attacks weakened 



72 THE INDUSTRIAL EXHIBITION. 

the confidence of the people, and agitated the country ; — so, accord- 
ing to this doctrine, a leader is to be always at the mercy of the 
mendacious scandal-mongers of a community ! — a most extraordi- 
nary political axiom. Capt. H drove me and Mr. C home ; 

it was a cold, frosty night, but not quite so sharp as yesterday, when 
Dahlias and potatoes were cut down ; but I console myself by ho- 
ping this may be all the winter I shall get, if I proceed toward the South 
in December. It strikes me as singular that the weather should be 
so cold, while the leaves are still upon the trees, for I see none fallen, 
and only here and there a branch of foliage turning red and yellow. 
September 12. — ^Yesterday, a lady took me to visit at a very 
pretty place called here Carouge, a corruption of Cap-rouge, on the 
banks of the St. Lawrence, where the river Carouge falls into it. The 
view from the windows reminded of Colonel Harcourt's, near Ryde. I 
gathered acorns off two or three oaks there, differing from ours ; one 
with the mid-rib of the leaf red ; and, ultimately, I hope to collect 
all the American species. In a wood near the house, some Indians 
had erected- a wigwam, oblong in form, and not very picturesque ; 
it was lined throughout with birch bark. The drive from Spencer 
Wood to Cap-rouge along the banks of the river is very beautiful ; 
the villas between the road and the banks belong principally to mer- 
chants engaged in the lumber trade, for the edge of the river all the 
way to Quebec is covered by rafts of timber, and numerous vessels 
are ready to convey it to England. 

September 13. — I spent the morning with my old friend at Ash 
Cottage. She gave me many specimens of the eai'ly-blowing flowers, of 
which I can now only find the leaves, among them the Mocassin. We 
afterward drove along a beautiful river-coast road, and w^ent through 
St. Foy. In the evening there was a ball here, attended by many 
pretty young Canadian ladies, who were dressed in good taste, and 
danced well ; their general appearance and manners were beyond 
what is to be commonly met "with at country town balls in England. 
I made the acquaintance of a Mr. Cameron, who lives near Lake 
Huron, and who promises that his daughter shall introduce me to 
the plants of that vicinity. 



A MALCONTENT. ^3 

September 14. — Lord Elgin took me to the great Agricultural 
and Industrial Exhibition of Quebec, held in a fine situation over- 
looking the river. I saw some interesting things ; one useful little 
instrument, not much larger than a hoe, a kind of earth-boring 
screw, with which you can dig to the depth of two or three feet in 
as many minutes. There were a few minerals, and some very pure- 
looking gold, found about sixty miles from hence ; but unfortunately 
these things were placed so much in the dark, that it was difficult 
to see them. An address was presented to the Governor-General, 
which, though unexpected on his part, he rephed to, in a speech 
made with great promptness and facility. An early dinner, with cham- 
paigne, was prepared by the committee for him and the gentlemen 
assembled. A farmer from London, Upper Canada, made a very 
purpose-like and fluent speech, and gave a general invitation to an 
agricultural show which is to take p)lace in his town on the 26th in- 
stant. The sheep were scanty and poor at this exhibition. I did 
not much admire the pigs, though some were thought good ; but 
there was a fine show of Ayrshire cattle, and very good cart-horses ; 
no Durham cattle, which are not thought to suit this country ; but 
the London gentleman said they were popular in his part of the 
world. I was disappointed in the flower-tent; what they had of 
flowers and fruits having been almost destroyed the night before last, 
when a storm of wind blew down the tent upon them. Ilain kept 
off" during the show, but a wet evening followed. One amusing part 
of the scene was the difterent fire-brigades with their engines, com- 
peting for j^rizes, given according to the height to which they could 
eject the water. This part of the aftair was very entertaining to 
a large majority of the crowd. A great number of people from 
various districts were present. 

I spent the afternoon at the house of a very pleasant kind family, 
and went to the House of Deputies before eight o'clock, hoping to 
hear the conclusion of an adjourned debate upon the Address. I 
found the members engaged in conversation upon the motion of 
Mackenzie, the former rebel. He is a singularly wild-looking little 
man, with red hair, waspish and fractious in manner — one of that 



74 A BOTANICAL EXCURSIOX. 

kind of people who would not sit down content under tlie govern- 
ment of an angel. He has evidently talent and energy, but he 
seems intent only upon picking holes in other men's coats. He 
spends the money of the colonists with great profusion for one pur- 
pose — printing returns from which he hopes to cull something which 
may damage somebody. He moved last night for the returns of all 
names of individual shareholders in banks, railroads, or companies 
of any description ! Some members opposed this, as wasteful of the 
public money, and useless to the public business ; only likely to 
minister to a prying, morbid curiosity about the affairs of private 
persons, and to be the means of annoying individuals who might 
not like their investments to be made a topic of gossiping conversa- 
tion. Mr. Mackenzie ended by adjourning his motion. Upon the 
order of the day for going on with the debate about the Address, 
Dr. Rolph got up and made what seemed to me a very pompous 
and unfounded attack upon the Governor-General for having, upon 
his own judgment, selected Sir A. M'Nab to form the new ministry. 
Dr. Rolph maintained that it was a breach of the Constitution for 
the Crown to send for any man to organize a new government with- 
out the advice of a minister ; that if the late Premier did not tender 
his advice on this occasion, it was his duty to have done so ; that if 
he did not tender his advice, it was the constitutional duty of the 
Governor-General to have taken that of this person, or that person 
(and here Dr. Rolph gave the names of several gentlemen, whom he 
seemed to consider more fit for the Premiership than Sir Allan), and 
lie ended by saying, if none of these would do, 'You, Mr. Speaker, 
ought to have been sent for.' I thought all this very extraordinary, 
and contrary to the English modes of procedure ; and so it appeared 
did the assembly. I was suiprised to hear afterwards that Dr. Rolph 
had been considered one of the most gifted, powerful, and dangerous 
of demagogues, till the Governor-General, by trying him in office, 
showed how little talent he really possessed. I did not get away 
till nearly midnight, and the House adjourned directly afterwards. 

ScjHemhe/' 15. — I had intended to have crossed over to the op- 
posite shore of the St. Lawrence, to see falls called the Chaudiere, 



QUEBEC. 75 

but the weather looked gloomy and unfavourable, and having other 
things to do, I put off that expedition : and this was fortunate, as I 

should have otherwise missed Mr. F , whose energetic devotion 

to the cause of the emigrants from England made me desirous to 
know him : he came out a steerage passenger in the Cleopatra — a 
sacrifice of comfort he has before made, with the view of ascertain- 
ing practically the treatment of emigrants. He is again going west, 
for information which may assist the cause he has espoused ; and if 
I had not been so fortunate as to see him this morning, he would 

have left Quebec. I drove in with Lord B and Mr. F to 

the Government Office, and introduced the latter to Mr. O , who 

gave him an invitation from Lord Elgin to dine at Spencer Wood. 
The afternoon turned out very fine, and I had a delightful botanical 
excursion across the river to Point Levi : upon rocks, and along the 
edge of the water, I found one of the only two Primulas of America, 
the rare Hedysarum boreale, Primula Mistassinica, Lobelia Kalmii, 
Gentiana saponaria, (fee, (fee, all beautiful plants and quite new to 
me. This locality was pointed out to me by Mr. Shepherd, the 
enthusiastic and intelligent Scotch seedsman of Montreal. Without 
a hint I should never have found the Primula, as it is, of course, not 
in flower now. I made two sketches — one of Quebec, which looks 
well from this place, and another of the Island of Orleans, with Cape 
Tourmente, and the mountains behind the Falls of Montmorenci ; 
these can only be seen from the oj^posite side of the river. Point 
Levi is a rambling Canadian village, where the inhabitants are all 
Roman Catholics, and speak little English. The place looks untidy 
and backward in civilization. The contrast is great between Point 
Levi and hamlets in the United States : everything looks new and 
hasty there, but all is at the same time neat, and significant of pres- 
ent and future prosperity. I found an odd-looking conglomerate 
rock along part of the road here. A clumsy dirty little steamer 
performs the part of ferry-boat between the opposite shores ; it is 
the worst thing of the kind I have seen this side the Atlantic. 

SejHemher 17. — Yesterday an accident occurred, which might 
have been attended with more serious consequences : the horse of 



'76 CURIOUS METEORIC LIGHT. 

one of the gentlemen here fell, whilst cantering, and rolled upon 
him ; but, with the exception of an injury to the shoulder, which 
obliged him to go into barrack, at Quebec, for medical treatment, 

no bad consequences ensued. I drove Mrs M in Lord Elgin's 

phaeton into the town. We found the wind not quite so cold. In 
the evening there was a very large dinner-party, including the whole 
Legislative Council. A Scotch gentleman from Perth, one of the 
senators, acquainted with members of our family in former years, 
invited me to visit him at Bytown, on the Ottawa River, about one 
hundred and twenty miles from Montreal, and as I hear much of 
the beauty of that flood of water, I am going from hence on Thurs- 
day, taking advantage of the first day's opening of the new railroad, 
which will spare me another stupid night voyage down the St. Law- 
rence. I shall see a new country, too, and do the journey to Mon- 
treal in a shorter time, which makes it worth my while to give up 
Three Rivers and the Falls of the Herwaniack, and also to leave this 
a day or two sooner than I intended, as the cars will not be availa- 
ble to the public in general till about a week later, and then this 
expedition will be only for directors, one of whom promises to take 
us. By the bye, there was a very curious meteoric light on Sep- 
tember 13th, the night of the ball here, which attracted the notice 
of all those who came. It was, I suppose, a kind of Aurora borealis, 
a broad path of shining white light, extending east and west from 
each horizon : when I saw it, there was no flickering ; it had the 
appearance of a beautifully defined straight-edged zone, bright as a 
moonlit cloud, and about as wide as the apparent distance between 
the two constellations Lyra and Aquila. It remained a long time 
visible, considerably more than an hour ; but I am not sure of its 
exact duration. I never saw anything like it before, nor had any 
one else among all who saw it here. It was not like any Aurora 
borealis I have before seen, because it appeared so stationary, and its 
direction was not at all northwards. 

September 18. — Bishop Mountain preached yesterday ; and after 
church I went with Lord Elgin to visit a Canadian lady of great 
age. She remembers the Duke of Kent here, and Lord Dorchester, 



VISIT TO A SQUAW. 7Y 

who was four times Governor-General. She looked like one of the 
'old Flemish pictures, with her thick black dress and simple thick 
white cap. with grey locks escaping at intervals from beneath it ; 
very lively and energetic, though unable to leave her room. She 
was delighted with the gift of a bouquet from the Governor-General, 
in honor of her natal day. She spoke entirely in French ; expressed 
the most lively sentiments of loyalty towards the Queen ; and looks 
to me as if she may live to number one hundred years. Her coun- 
tenance bore the stamp of cleverness and of great originality. Col- 
onel I took me to inquire after Captain H , who is going 

on well ; and I then saw the fine strong citadel, from which there 

are splendid views of Quebec and the St. Lawrence. Colonel S 

embarks his regiment for England next week, and is so obliging as 
to take charge of a box of plants and ferns, which I hope may get 
there in life. Some of them, though indigenous here, I have never 
seen in our gardens, and being hardy, these will be valuable addi- 
tions. I have found seeds of an Onobrychis, I think, of which it is 
probable specimens have not yet been seen in England. It is pretty 
enough to be a nice addition to our hardy plants, if I should be 
successful in introducing it. To-day we are going on an expedition 
to Lake St. Charles, about fifteen miles from Quebec. I am told it 
is well worth seeing. We left Spencer Wood before noon. The 
day turned out wet, but it w^as little more than drizzling rain ; and 
as there is a merry party of young people, no w^eather damps their 
enjoyment. I first saw the Falls of Lorette, and upon the rocks 
there found a beautiful and rare fern (^AUosorus gracilis) : then, 

while the rest of the party preceded us, Mr. K w^as so obliging 

as to take me to visit a hamlet of civilized Indians, one of the Huron 
tribes. We missed seeing the chief, who was at his farm, but his 
squaw received us in her neat house, as comfortably furnished as 
any belonging to our best farmers. She told us her husband's 
mother was of French origin, but that she was pure Indian. Her 
age must be about seventy. She has decidedly the features of a 
squaw, but she is extremely intelligent, and speaks good Canadian 
French. This chief has only one son, but that son has six children. 



78 VARIABLE WEATHER. 

"We bouglit little boxes, baskets, and pincushions, all made out of 
bircli bark by Mrs. Paul and her husband ; some of them very pret- 
tily embroidered. 

The people of this village wear a kind of half Lidian costume ; 
the men, generally, very bright scarlet caps. They are Roman 
Catholics ; and a woman showed us their little chapel, which pos- 
sesses a miraculous wooden Virgin, which was supposed to have 
escaped burning, when everything round it, in a former locality, was 
destroyed by fire. This place, better built, and more clean and 
orderly, than most European villages, at once sets at rest the ques- 
tion, whether Indians can be induced to give up a nomadic life. 
From Lorette to Lake St. Charles, the road was but indifl^erent. At 
the house of a habitant farmer we found our pic-nic party assembled. 
There was an attempt to embark in canoes upon the lake, which 
was abandoned because it rained too heavily. The rest of the party 
returned for shelter, but I made a sketch from under an umbrella, 
and discovered two or three more plants — another pretty fern, at 
present quite unknown to me. Upon reaching the house, I found a 
merry round game going on. We then had an excellent dinner ; 
and afterwards, to avoid a bad road in the dark, we all got into the 
carriages, and returned as far as Lorette, where there is a small ho- 
tel : two fiddlers, both of Indian blood, played quadrilles and waltzes 
in excellent time ; ten or twelve couples were made up, and people 
were so well content with this amusement, that we did not get back 
to Quebec much before midnight. 

Be'ptemher 19. — Rain as heavy as that of the heaviest thunder- 
storm in England, from six to nine ; and, when I set out to walk at 
noon, expecting a temperature cold as November, I found shawls 
and. wraps quite in the way ; it was like a warm June morning ; 
such a rapid change I hardly ever remember, even in our changeable 
climate. I went to sketch a fine view of Quebec and the St. Law- 
rence, as far as Cape Tourmente,'from the citadel : it was very windy, 
and even the shelter of one of the great guns was hardly enough to 
enable me to keep my paper from being blown away. Afterwards 
I drove to see a pretty place and nice garden belonging to Dr 



CANADIAN PENSIONERS. 19 

Douglas, at Beaufort, near Quebec. Mrs. Douglas received me very 
kindly, but I was sorry to miss the doctor, who went yesterday to 
the Chaudiere. There is a very well conducted and comfortable 
looking public lunatic asylum, in which Dr. Douglas takes great 
interest, adjoining his grounds, which are extensive, and laid out 

Avith great taste. I returned to dine with Mr. and Mrs. K at 

Quebec, intending to go to the Parliament House to hear the Address 
discussed ; but as the debate appeared likely to linger on during the 
night, and we had a pleasant party and agreeable house, I remained 
all the evening where I was. 

September 20. — A stormy night, and the weather again bitterly 
cold. I went into Quebec upon hearing that the Assembly had sat 
all night, and were still discussing the amendment on the.AddresSj 
which, after all, was only to substitute the word ' secularization' for 
' adjustment.' I was fortunate in getting to the House about half- 
past two o'clock, before the adjournment ; so I was present at the 
finale, when there was a great majority for the Ministers, and it was 
agreed, without a division, that the address should be carried up 
to-morrow by the whole House, which should adjourn till four 
o'clock, Thursday. 

Se2)t€77iber 21. — Colonel Tulloch, the Government Commissioner 
for settling and looking after the miKtary pensioners who have had 
grants of land in Canada, dined here. He has been very successful 
in improving their condition, and land is not — as it used to be — a 
misfortune, rather than a blessing, to the pensioned soldier. This 
improvement is partly owing to Colonel TuUoch's plan of making 
the grant to consist of three or four acres instead of one hundred, as 
was formerly the case, when the occupant, unfit to clear and bring 
into cultivation so large a portion, was ruined by it. Now, the 
smaller allotments are cultivated garden fashion ; and one individual 
made fifty pounds last year from his three acres, principally by grow- 
ing vegetables for the Toronto market. In case of the death of an 
occupant, his widow is left in possession on condition that she re- 
marries with no one but a soldier ; and no widow has ever yet (Col- 
onel Tulloch declares") remained two months without a husband. 



80 QUEBEC. 

Such is the anxiety for a housewife, that men of fifty marry widows 
fifteen years older than themseh'es, rather than remain bachelors. 
What a chance for antiquated spinsters wishing to change their 
state ! 

Four of the gentlemen who dined here yesterday sang Negro 
and Canadian boat songs in the evening, all in good time and tune ; 
they are very pretty airs. The 7 1st Regiment embarks for England 
on Saturday, much regretted here. I think this is the most variable 
climate I ever visited. Last night it was bitterly cold ; this morning 
the sun shines, and every thing again looks summerish, while yes- 
terday, no wraps could enable me to stand for ten minutes at the 
citadel to finish my sketch ; but I am told this month is not usually 
so cold ; there have been many icebergs seen lately near the coast, 
and that is supposed to be the reason of the unusual frigidity we 
feel here. I miss the furs which were left behind at Boston, supposed 
to be useless encumbrances at this time of year ; but it is to be 
hoped that, after my return to Montreal, I shall find myself again in 
a warmer climate. There is certainly more difference between the 
temperature of the two places than the distance would lead one to 
expect : here, the grass has been extremely verdant this summer, 
while at Montreal every blade was burnt up ; and I saw nothing 
green whatever, except the trees. I am afraid my hopes of going 
back by rail are illusory. Sir Cusack Rowney w^as here yesterday. 
and he seems to consider the line wholly impassable at present, and 
likely to remain so till the 16th of next month ; so, instead of going 
by cars to-day, I must delay till Saturday, and then reconcile myself 
to the steam-boat passage down the St. Lawrence ; now, I shall not 
have time to stop at Three Rivers. 

September 22. — Yesterday I was present at the Roman Catholic 
Archbishop's palace, to see the assemblage of the clergy of that per- 
suasion, for the laying the first stone of a college. There w^ere seven 
bishops, besides the archbishop, all benevolent-looking men. There 
does not seem to be much religious bigotry with that Church here — 
or at any rate it keeps out of sight — and the present Governor- 
General does all in his power to maintain peace and charity among 



LORD ELGIN. 81 

the differing Churches. He made a most eloquent and facile speech 
in French, although wholly unprepared. He alluded to the vast 
progress in the material world ; to the marvels of electricity and of 
steam, by the agency of which the inhabitants of remote settlements 
are brought into connection, and railroads convey the luxuries of 
civilization to the backwoods of Canada and the solitary dwellings 
of the Far West. He then reminded the assemblage of differing 
Christians that the spiritual empire of religion and morality could 
only be made to keep pace with material progress through the cor- 
dial union of Protestant and Catholic, in the great work of educating 
the young, and guiding the mature, by the lights of piety and truth. 
The observers and listeners of each Church appeared interested and 
pleased, and I trust something was effected on this occasion towards 
allaying and appeasing their differences. I went to make my sketch 
from the citadel, and afterwards returned to the Government House, 
to get a peep through an open door of the ceremony of taking up 
an Address by the whole Canadian House of Commons. It was 
much the same as in England. The Roman Catholic bishops after- 
wards presented a loyal address to Lord Elgin. I drove Mrs.K 

to her father's house on the St. Foy road, and went to take leave of 
Mrs. Montazambert, in my way back to Spencer Wood. There was 
a party of twelve at dinner — several ladies. 

September 23. — Yesterday I went a long expedition with Col. 

I , to see the Falls of the Chaudiere. We crossed the ferry at 

Point Levi, and the drive of about ten miles on the other side of the 
St. Lawrence, nearly following the line of the new railway to Mon- 
treal, is very beautiful : the St. Lawrence on the right, streams and 
rivei-s occasionally flowing into it ; and rough cliffs, and woods, and 
hamlets, all along the left hand. The rocks in some places were 
shaded with soft gre}^, yellow, and brown ; and all was pleasant but 
the road, which proved difficult, rough, and sometimes dangerous; 
more than usually so (I was told), owing to the railroad operations ; 
but the old French Canadian, and his little black horse, which drew 
our caUche, did not seem at all put out, by what in England would 
have been thought impracticable, even though the way was evidently 



82 CANADIAN LADIES. 

not well known to liim, and he took us three or four miles above the 
Falls to a railroad bridge over the Chaudiere, so that we were 
obliged to retrace our steps ; and this, with the intricacy of the place 
itself, when we got there, wasted some time. The body of water 
which comes down is more considerable than that of Montmorenci, 
and the spray was too wetting for us to do more than take a glimpse 
of the Fall from above. I believe we ought to have been on the 
other side, but there was not time to remedy this mistake, and the 
view w^e did get was fine. We scrambled through a thick forest, 
and came out, through bog and brake, some way from the place 

where we had left the carriage ; so Col. I walked back for it, 

and I went on to get a sketch of the Chaudiere, where it joins the 
St. Lawrence. The sun was setting before we got to the shore, 
nearly opposite Spencer Wood, and if we had again taken the 
roundabout way, by Point Levi, we might have missed the last 
ferry, besides incurring the chance of breaking down before getting 
there ; but we were fortunate in finding a hospitable lumber mer- 
chant and his w-ife, who welcomed us to their warm and comfortable 
fire-side, and sent us at once across the river in their little boat. We 
landed at a wharf, about two miles from Spencer House, and got 
home before eight o'clock, so that I had time to get some dinner 
and rest, before dressing for a ball, given by Lord Elgin, as a fare- 
well to the oj65cers of the departing Ylst Regiment, which is to em- 
bark to-morrow for England (Sept. 23d). The dance was very lively 
and brilliant, and was kept up till past three o'clock this morning. 
The Canadian ladies certainly amuse themselves more easily and 
pleasantly than we do ; they are more like the French, in their en- 
joyment of passing moments, and are generally pretty, natural, and 
well dressed ; so that I have found their acquaintance agreeable. 
The Governor- General went in state to-day, to give his assent to the 
Reciprocity Bill; and that glorious measure is now all settled, hap- 
pily for both countries. There was a very large dinner-party here, 
almost entirely composed of Deputies and their Speaker ; and we all 
went to bed considerably tired with the fatigues of the last week. I 
had intended to have departed by this afternoon's steamer for Mon- 



QUEBEC. 83 

treal, but since that arrangement was made, Lord Elgin has decided 
upon going himself to Upper Canada, on Monday, and the raih-oad 
Directors have therefore made a great exertion for the purpose of 
conveying him along the new line, so I shall benefit by being of his 
party as far as Montreal ; and thus, after all, escape that odious 
night voyage down the river, besides which, I shall have an agree- 
able drive through a beautiful country by daylight, and do the 
journey in eight hours instead of twelve. 

I will write again from the next place, which will probably be 

Major C 's, St. Heliers, near Montreal. No letters for me again ! 

This is very disappointing. 

Your affectionate, 

A. M. M. 

I shall get no letters now for three weeks, as my tour in Upper 
Canada will take at least that time ; and anything which comes 
here must be forwarded to Albany, care of the Governor of New 
York. 



LETTER IX. 



MONTEEAL 



MoNTKEAL, September 27. 



My dear Friends, — 

By seven o'clock yesterday morning, Lord Elgin and his 
suite were ready for embarkation in a rowing boat which was to 
cross the St. Lawrence from the Cove beneath Spencer Wood. The 
weather proved favourable, less cold, and, though rather damp, not 
rainy. Quebec looked fine in the misty atmosphere, the citadel 
looming above it, and much shipping npon the river below. I felt 
sorry to leave that beautiful place, but we had an agreeable passage 

across ; and a little boy, the son of Mr. K , only ten years old, 

sang Canadian boat songs with great spirit. On the opposite shore 
we found Sir Cusack and Lady Rowney, and the chief conductoi-s 
and engineers of the Great Trunk Railroad, waitino^ wdth a car. 
They gave us a plentiful lunch on our way to Richmond, where we 
joined the original line. That place and Melbourne are on each 
side of the St. Francis River, both prettily situated. This single line 
from Quebec is in so unfinished a state, that as yet there are no fences, 
and it required some skill and caution to avoid smashing the cattle 
which had strayed upon the way. We were often suddenly brought- 
up for this reason ; and once the coupling of the engine broke, from 
the unsettled state of the trams, and we saw the machine running 



VICTORIA BRIDGE. 86 

off from us without its followings ; however, no harm ensued, we 
caught our horse again, and it went on so rapidly as to complete 
our journey in about seven hours. Opposite Montreal we found the 
Beaver, a powerful steam-vessel belonging to the company, awaiting 
Lord Elgin's arrival. She took us up (in spite of the stream running 
like a mill race) to the side of the Avorks for the stupendous tubular 
bridge which is in progress. The Governor-General laid a first 
stone for the second pier, in the bed of the St. Lawrence. We were 
then rowed across a rapid to the first, wdiich is already a mass of 
most beautiful solid masonry, strong enough to resist even the win- 
ter ice and floods of this gigantic river. A trowel was given to me, 
and I was invited to put in the mortar for a corner-stone of twelve 
tons weight, which we then saw lowered into its place ; to remain, 
as far as human eyes can judge, as long as the world lasts. The 
material used is a hard black-looking limestone (and I heard of 
organic remains being sparingly dispersed in it) — probably Silurian. 
After much cheering for the Queen and the Governor-General, and 
the future Victoria Bridge, we steamed up the river again, and landed 
Lord Elgin at the Lake Champlain railroad station, Albany, being 
his best route for London, Upper Canada, where he goes to attend 

an agricultural meeting. My Canadian acquaintance, Mr. K , 

brought me here to his sister's house, which I find a pretty villa, 
rather out of the town, with an extensive garden overlooking Mon- 
treal and the St. Lawrence. 

Se2Jte7nber 28. — I went yesterday to seek out all my baggage, 
•which came up by the steamer, as it could not readily be carried 

over cl^asms in the railway. After visiting Lady R , and the 

intelligent seedsman Shepherd, at whose house I saw some very 
good drawings executed by his daughter (both flowers and figures), I 

returned to Mrs. J 's, and after lunch she and Mr. J , with the 

other gentlemen, took me a drive to see the cemetery, which is being 
established upon a finely-wooded hill, about three miles from Mon- 
treal. We drove back by the light of a brilliant young moon, 
which promises well for my three weeks' tour in Upper Canada. 
This morning I spent in the town of Montreal, making some 



86 ST. HILAIRE. 

arrangements and re-packing my baggage, so as to forward every- 
thing whicli I do not require for Upper Canada, to await my arrival 

at Albany. At three o'clock, Mr. J took me to the Ferry 

Wharf, where we found Major C , whose place I had engaged 

to visit. After crossing the river, we had about twenty-five miles of 
railroad to his newly-built house, St. Hilaire, on the Richelieu, — a 
river as wide as the Thames at Battersea. A sweeping curve 
brought us up to the station, after going over a bridge. We had 
passed by the farms and holdings of habitants attached to another 

seigneurie, before reaching that of Major C ; but all these small 

farms are monotonous, bare-looking strips of land, without a twig 
of shelter upon them. The forests have been mercilessly extirpated, 
and these people have left themselves denuded of wood, and with 
land worn out by their short-sighted policy of squeezing all they can 
out of it, and giving nothing in return. This valley was once rich 

and productive. The good example of Major C , and the 

advantages of the railroad, may in time induce these inoffensive but 
ignorant people to cultivate instead of racking their land ; at pres- 
ent, I should hardly have supposed they could draw from it even a 
scanty subsistence. These seigneuries are of great extent in square 
acres ; but the ground having been let on from father to son, at a 
rent almost nominal (about twopence an acre), any arrangement 
that will change a system so antiquated as their manner of farming, 
must be a good one for both landlord and tenant. Some kind of 
adjustment Hke that which was recommended in the speech of the 
Governor-General, will probably be made by the Legislature this 

session. Major C has built a pretty Elizabethan hous§, which 

it is to be hoped will serve as a model for an improved style of 
architecture in this land of ugly edifices ; it is backed by the fine 
river Richelieu, and about three miles in front are the well wooded 
and picturesque mountains of Belleisle, which belong to his seig- 
neurie ; they stand alone, in the flat district. There is the Mount of 
St. John, probably of volcanic origin, but looking like a peaked bar- 
row, about seven miles' distance ; but otherwise the country is level 
as far as Montreal : and from the summit of Major C 's hill the 



A PRETTY EDIFICE. 8T 

view is most extensive on every side, embracing four rivers and four 
lakes — tlie St. Lawrence, Ottawa, Richelieu, and Yamasee rivers ; 
Lake Champlain, that of the Two Mountains, Lake Richelieu, and 
Lake Chambly. 

September 29. — Major and Mrs. C took me after breakfast 

to walk about the mountain, and to see the hotel he is building, in 
a very pretty situation, upon the lower part of it. I found some in- 
teresting plants, and made sketches — one of a small lake in the bo- 
som of the mountain, which is believed to fill up an extinct crater. 
Basaltic and other igneous rocks scattered about are evidences of the 
nature of these hills ; and one feels grateful to an outbreak which 
has so beautified the landscape. Excellent apples grow in the nu- 
merous orchards at the base of Belleisle, and here the people make 
a good deal of cider, besides manufacturing maple sugar in quanti- 
ties during the month of April. I saw no flowers about the plank- 
houses, and their absence throws an air of desolation over the ham- 
lets ; but it must be remembered that their inhabitants have a winter 
so long and tedious, that during a short summer the time of the 
men, and of the women also, is so occupied by necessary agricultural 
and domestic labours, that they have none to bestow upon floricul- 
ture. Driving home I saw many little wooden troughs under the 
trees in the forest ; I thought at first that they were for pigs to feed 
from, but they are receptacles for the maple sugar. Young trees 
produce the whitest and purest syrup ; and a frosty night, followed 
by a bright sunshiny day, is the only weather which induces a good 
flow of sap. I do not see why we could not make maple sugar in 
England, unless it is that the sun is not sufficiently powerful during 
our spring. I saw a large closet at St. Hilaire, filled with cakes of 
varying purity ; they looked very like a coarse brown soap. In the 

house. Major C has his oflSce for the seigneurie — resembling 

the magistrate's room of an English country gentleman ; and Mrs. 

C has her room for the reception of the poor who are sick or 

sorry, where she affords them aid and advice. She is much beloved 
among them, but never gives money. This place will be very pretty 
when finished, and as complete and comfortable as the residence of 



88 SILVER HEIGHTS. 

an English Squire. It is briclr, with stone ornaments ; and the in- 
terior is fitted up with carved oak, aj^propriate to the Gothic style 
of the building. After spending a pleasant day, I took the cars at 
three o'clock, and returned to my friend's house at Montreal by eight 
in the evening. 

September 30. — Silver Heights^ Banks of the Ottawa. — I left 
Montreal to embark in a steamer at La Chine, whither we went by 
the railroad — a beautiful drive. I was surprised to find the Ottawa 
another lake-like river, extending in both directions, and looking as 
if the banks of the St. Lawrence could never contain its waters, while 
there is much greater beauty and variety on its own shores. The 
first part of our voyage of thirty miles was a splendid one: we 
reached Carillon about three o'clock ; there I found a note from Mr. 

and Mrs. F : and Captain W , with his two daughters, 

drove me to this place. It is now twenty-five years since he became 
a settler. At that time the undertaking of building and clearing 
must have been a fearful one ; but they have now a fine farm and 
an enjoyable home, to which steam and electricity already add 
the comforts of society, and afford a rapid communication with the 
world ; but when Captain and Mrs. "W., as a young couple, sat down 
in the bush, what a store of patience and energy must have been 
required to endure and to conquer the difficulties of their situation ! 
As we proceeded, there were some Indian villages at intervals on 
the river banks : priests landed occasionally from our boat, and once 
I saw two comfortably clothed squaws, with long cloaks and baskets 
of wood at their backs, get into a canoe at the edge of the water ; 
but wigwams and tomahawks seem almost out of date hereabouts. 

October 1. — We left Silver Heights yesterday ; Captain W 

kindly drove me in his wagon to Grenville, that I might be spared 
ten miles of a rough coach ; for the rapids here prevent any naviga- 
tion of the river between Grenville and Carillon. As we were rather 
too soon for embarkation, I walked on the banks of the Ottawa, and 
picked up some curious-looking fossils out of the clay slate. It was 
about five o'clock when the boat reached Petite Nation. A finely- 
wooded shore extended all the way, but no striking features in the 



LA PETITE NATION. 89 

landscape. As we disembarked fi-om the steamer, I saw a squaw 
with her papoose wrapped in her blanket. She did not seem to 
comprehend a word of French or English, and soon paddled away 
in a canoe with lier husband, who was dressed like the other 
peasants, and I should hardly have recognized him as an Indian. 
People speak of the ' extermination' of the savages ; but I should 
rather say that the race is being amalgamated and absorbed in that 
of civilized men. It is said here that the priests rule the Roman 
Catholic Indians with a rod of iron ; that they do not permit them 
to accumulate property, but that the Church keeps a hold over their 
means ; and that, in consequence of the despotic rule of ecclesiastics 
at Claire Point (an Indian settlement we passed yesterday), the peo- 
ple are fast emigrating to By town ; but still it appears to me that 
Eoman Catholicism is best adapted for civilizing the Indians. The 
latter place derives its name from a Captain By, who was the Gov- 
ernment Superintendent of the Rideau Canal, which extends from 
this part of the country to Kingston. The city is in future to be 
called Ottawa. M. Papineau received me very kindly at Petite Nation . 
It is not more than five or six years since he was his own architect, 
and built the pretty stone house he now inhabits with his family, 
after he gave up political life. This has been a wet day ; but I am 
fortunate in being detained in a place where I can benefit by the 
conversation of an agreeable and well-informed host. Speaking 
about the proposed arrangement of the seigneuries, M. Papineau 
fears that the preponderance of Upper Canada in the Legislature 
may lead to an unjust solution of that question. It is proposed to 
make the seigneurs sell their reserved lands, he says. "Where a man 
has purchased a seigneurie at a price which has never been remu- 
nerative, expecting one day to make a fair interest for his money, it 
would be injustice to enforce a sale, just as the approach of civiliza- 
tion is giving value to the purchase ; hut even if the Canadian repre- 
sentatives are regardless of the rights of individuals, I cannot believe 
that any Enghsh Governor-General, much less the present one, would 
give his sanction to any act of spoliation. 

October 2. — A very pleasing and intelligent young cure drank 
5* 



90 THE MASSACRE. 

tea here last night. He told me that there is an Indian encamp- 
ment squatted down on the other side the river, and I shall hope to 
go and see it. 

After breakfast, Monsieur Papineau took R and me across 

the river to visit the Indians and their wigwams, so it seems they are 
not quite extirpated from this part of the country. These people 
belong to the tribe of AUoconquins, once so powerful along the 
shores of the Ottawa. They were designated as the '■ great nation^ 
and were generally fierce and warlike ; but upon the ground now 
occupied by the seigneurie of M. Papineau, the French, upon their 
first visit, found a peaceable and gentle settlement of natives, whom 
they designated as ' La Petite Nation ; ' hence, the present name of 
the place. With these inoffensive savages the strangers fraternized, 
and in consequence, their fiercer brethren of the Indians raised the 
war-whoop, poured down in numbers, and with fire and tomahawk 
destroyed the Petite Nation, and murdered nearly all their white 
guests. Upon this occurrence, the French Government gave up any 
attempt to settle on these shores, and refused permission to individ- 
uals to do so. It was not till after the English conquest of Canada 
that the Ottawa river became by degrees the residence of Europeans. 
There were only a few wigwams at the place where we landed ; we 
spoke to an old woman and her two daughters, who were making 
boxes of birch bark ; and to a young and rather pretty squaw, with 
her baby and her husband, who w^as busy "preparing the skin of an elk 
for mocassins. They all spoke French a little ; and being acquainted 
with M. Papineau, they did not shun conversation. The woman was 
the same who, wdien I spoke to her on the other side of the river, shook 
her head, and pretended not to understand me ; and this, it seems, is 
a common habit if they are addressed by strangers. All the Indians 
I have yet seen are warmly and comfortably clad ; a blanket or dark 
cloak being their outer covering, and they have good strong shoes and 
stockings. M. Papineau says, the accusations I heard made against 
the priests at Point Clare are unjust ; that they only use their influ- 
ence to prevent the savages from destroying themselves by ' Fire- 
water ;' and that the evil inclined complain bitterly of this check. 



NATURAL HISTORY. 91 

and go off elsewhere to indulge those drinking propensities which 
will be the ultimate ruin of the race. After seeing the encampment, 
we landed on the small island of Vagit ; there I found interesting 
plants and river shells, and made a sketch of M. Papineau's pretty 
Scotch-looking house, with its two towers and high roof. The wind 
freshened, so that we were soon obliged to hasten to the shore again, 
and returned in time for the two o'clock family dinner ; after which, 
Monsieur and Madame Papineau, with the lady's sister and sister-in- 
law, took me to see a very handsome and well-]3uilt family chapel, 
and mausoleum, in the grounds. The style is solid simple Gothic, 
with a low belfry, like the "Welsh churches. The interior has a beau- 
tiful roof, flying timbers; and one or two stained glass windows, 
over the door and over the altar, give all the light that is admitted. 
Each side is filled up by large plain black slabs of marble, upon one 
of which will one day be inscribed the names of those who then stood 
around me. I liked this little burying-place better than anything of the 
kind I have before seen. 

October 2. — A very wet day, the wind blowing and the rain 
raining. When it does rain on this side of the Atlantic, the down- 
pour is more continued and violent than with us ; but then there 
are very seldom three wet days in succession. 

October 3. — After breakfast this morning, Madame Papineau took 
me to walk in the forest, which, like that behind Mr. Loring's house 
near Beverley, is interspersed with fine rocks of sienite. It is now 
rather too late for wild-flowers in this part of the country ; but I found 
some beautiful ferns, and the first snake I have seen in America glid- 
ed away from our path ; it was long and slender, black, marked with 
vivid green, and it was not disagreeably near to us. Pretty little 
ground-squirrels ran about among the rocks ; they are less agile than 
ours, and want the bushy tail, but they are beautifully striped ; I 
also saw a black-and-white species of woodpecker, and a partridge, 
though birds are generally scarce. The afternoon proved very wet, 
but M. Papineau kindly accompanied me to the little wharf, to wait 
for the steamer to Ottawa city. We sat for a considerable time in 
the parlour of the French Canadian auberge, as bad weather had 



92 FALLS OF THE OTTAWA. 

made the vessel rather later than usual ; and we were almost drenched, 
whilst only walking over the small wooden pier to the boat, where 
it was not without a feeling of regret that I took leave of my cour- 
teous host, who with his family had made me so kindly welcome to 
his forest-home. The evening soon closed in, and I w^as vexed to 
pass up another fine river in the dark. Monsieur Papineau had 

speeded my departure in the rain, and Mr. M came with his 

carriage to meet me under the same disagreeable circumstances. 

Wednesday, October 4. — The moon was hid by clouds, and rain 
poured down as fast when we left the boat as when we got into it, 
almost wet through by having waited five minutes on the shore ; 
but the sun shines out this bright frosty morn. Having heard much 
of the scenery round Ottawa, I was at first disappointed at the bare 
look of the place itself; for, excepting a small tract of forest left near 
this house, the axe and saw have cleared away every tree around it ; 
and the buildings straggle on, nearly all the same in form, though of 
varrying material and size ; some were built of wood, some of brick, 
and some of a coarse kind of granite, speckled by garnets. "When 
the intermediate space shall be filled, (which is in a fair way of being 
accomplished, for buildings are rising up in all directions, and one 
very pretty Elizabethan house is erecting for a son-in-law of Mr. 
Mackay's, which will set the example of a more picturesque style of 
architecture) — a large city will stand at the confluence of the rivers 
Ottawa, Gatineau, and Rideau. The present town will then change 
its former ugly name for that of the Ottawa, the largest of these three 
fine rivers ; on the banks of which it has sprinkled itself to the ex- 
tent of about three miles, reaching to a handsome suspension bridge 
which crosses the torrent very near the spot where it tumbles down 
a ledge of rocks packed over one another in tabular masses. These 
falls are very grand, second only to Niagara. At one place the 
stream, after tumbling over, enters a large circular hole, and vanishes 
beneath in a whirlpool. Each side the river, slides of water have 
been formed, down which the rafts rush so furiously, that, though 
the men upon them look perfectly cool and unconcerned, I should 
not much like to be in their company. What a turmoil of waters 



OTTAWA. 93 

there must be at other times, since now that they are considered very 
low, the rush I see is so magnificent ! I suppose it is well to visit 
these falls before Niagara, but it is worth while to cross the Atlantic 
for these alone. About thirty years ago, the gentleman at whose 
house I am now staying, was at these rapids late in the evening, 
with a lady now of my acquaintance, and upon her expressing a wish to 
stand upon a tabular rock which divides one of the larger falls from 
the caldron below, he carried her across upon a drift-plank at the 
edge of the torrent. It was only by the same way that they could 

return ; and Mr. M allows that at the moment he repented his 

daring, for one inch on either side would have been fatal to both. 
However, the lady preserved her composure, and he his courage, and 
so they repassed in safety ; but he afterwards confessed to his wife 
that he shuddered upon looking at the place by day-light — for it was 
by the light of the moon this feat was performed. Last year, a raft 
containing nine men was wrecked just above the Falls. Thousands 
of spectators crowded the banks, and by means of ropes, the poor 
fellows were rescued ; but one was dragged so far through the torrent, 
that he was brought senseless to the shore. 

Friday^ 6 th. — This morning, one of the young Mr. M 's 

drove me about eight miles up the shores of the Gatineau, (in some 
places over a corduroy road, in which the holes were deep enough 
to have smashed an English carriage), to see some falls upon that 
river, which, if not finer than the Chaudiere or the Ottawa, are still 
more strikingly situated : a series of falls and rapids two miles in 
length, backed by hills of untrodden forest, and as yet unencumbered 
by saw- mills and water-slides, can be seen from the ascent above. It 
is certainly the most beautiful view I have visited in this fine country. 
There is also a lake near ; but time was wanting to reach the spot ; 
and I believe few people, except trappers and raftsmen, have as yet 
penetrated ferther up this river. The post this day has brought us 
news of the successful landing of the army near Sebastopol. I may 
possibly hear no more till we get to Niagara. Montreal papers de- 
scribe Lord Elgin's progress through Upper Canada, where he seems 
to have been extremely well received ; met by loyal addresses at 



94 OFFICIOUS CARE. 

every place, and answering them by impromptu political, social, and 
ao'ricultural speeches, which read as well as if they had been care- 
fully prepared. I have waited long here, vainly hoping to be over- 
taken by a missing trunk, in which are all my books, paper for 
plants, and other things of every-day requirement : it was left behind 
at Montreal, entirely owing to the intended care which everybody 
evinces for our interests, so that we find it the most diflScult matter 
possible to take care of ourselves. Parcels are taken from our hands, 
boxes carried off or retained, baskets and tin cases put aside, and we 
never know whether the luggage is right or wrong, eithei* in the 
United States or in Canada, because every gentleman takes it into 
his charge. American ladies are so accustomed to be watched and 
waited upon, that an independent Englishwoman is quite in despair 
at being treated as if she could not take care of her own concerns. 
I never mislaid and lost so many things in the travels of my whole 

life, as have been dropped or left behind since R and I landed 

on this side the Atlantic. We never know when our baggage is 
accompanying us, or when it is lagging behind ; but usually every 
thing turns up again in due time. We must leave this place at 
seven o'clock to-morrow, by the Rideau Canal for Prescott, or we 
may not be able to proceed before the middle of the week ; and 
though I give up seeing Lake Huron, ten days will be required to 
go by Belville, Coburg, Toronto, and Hamilton, before we shall reach 
Niagara. The season is now getting late, and I much fear the great 
beauty of the foliage will have passed before I reach the Falls. Some 
trees have already lost their leaves — a change which has occurred 
rather earlier than usual, owing to the storms of the first few days 
of this month. Opposite the window at which I am writing, I now 
see crimson maples, orange birch, and scarlet oaks, interspersed with 
dark furs and bright green beech, and silver stems glistening here 
and there, making this corner of a primeval forest in itself a picture. 
Some of the charred black stumps, too, are always to be seen here 
and there standing up ; at times they look like black points, or like 
gigantic figures among the trees. I sympathize now more than ever 
with poor Mrs. Moodie. 'Life in the bush' must indeed be a hard 



A FIELD FOR ENTERPRISE. 95 

life for any civilized woman to go througli. With all the aid that 
capital and strong arms can give, clearing is slow work, and one sees 
land that has been years in cultivation, still covered over at intervals 
by great black stumps, which look as if they might yet keep posses- 
sion of the ground for the next twenty years. It is impossible to 
grub them up without such an outlay of time and trouble as is out 
of the question ; and they have already been charred and girdled till 
their durability has been the more confirmed : so between rocks, and 
bogs, and timber, it takes a weary time before the poor settlers can 
grow more than a sprinkling of potatoes ; and I am now fully con- 
vinced of the wisdom of Colonel Tulloch's plan, of giving only very 
small portions of land to pensioners, that an old soldier may be pre- 
vented from attempting a hopeless amount of exertion, which wastes 
his strength without repaying him in food. Still this country is a 
fine field for capital and talent. Young engineers make their for- 
tunes rapidly. The overlooker of a mill receives one pound a day ; 
a good foreman or clerk five or six hundred pounds per annum ; and 
any tolerable workman may earn his dollar or two each day — more 
than some of our naval or military officers receive. With a small 
capital, and a good recommendation, any active young man must 
prosper in Canada ; but industry and temperance are just as neces- 
sary here as elswhere ; and those who fancy they may make money 
without earning it are worse off in America than in England. 

Sunday Night, October 28 — Ottawa. — I went to an Episcopal 
church here this mornino-; there was a laro:e cono-reo-ation. The 
service very respectably conducted ; a small barrel organ accom- 
panied voices in good tune. Protestants and Roman Catholics are 
about equal in numbers here, and there are chapels of various de- 
nominations. One or two convents of Grey Nuns, and some Jesuits, 
have made this place their head-quarters. It is a healthy situation, 
and no cholera has made its appearance, though it has prevailed 
much at Montreal. Hull, on the other side the suspension bridge, 
was settled before Bytown ; it will eventually be a mere suburb be- 
longing to Ottawa city. The population here is a mixture of Scotch, 
Irish, French Canadians, and Upper Canadians, with a few Germans 



9 6 OTTAWA. 

and Americans. By town is in Upper Canada — Hull, in lower ; so the 
Ottawa divides the two provinces. I will leave this letter to go from 
hence, as we start by the early steamboat to-morrow for Prescott, and 
this is probably the best locality from which to ensure the transmis- 
sion of a packet for England — so I close in haste. 

Yours affectionately, 

A."^M. M. 

Ottawa City, ox the Ottawa, UprER Canada, 
October 8, 1854. 



LETTER X. 



LAKE ONTAEIO 



CoBOTiRG, Lake Ontario, > 
October 12, 1854. ) 

My dear Friends, — 

I write now from another hospitable villa on the borders of, 
this inland sea. I heard the sound of waves on the shore last night, 
as on a calm summer evening at Brighton. There has not been one 
minute in which I could put pen to paper since we left Bytown, now 
Ottawa city. During this journey I have come to the conclusion, 
that there is no dependence to be placed upon the hours or the dis- 
tances named to a traveller in Canada or the United States ; you 
may be informed as to the usual hour for the departure of a 
steamer, and yet she sets forth half an hour before, or she may 
arrive at a point whence to start again at five minutes' warning, two 
hours after she was expected. When we embarked (with all Mr. 

M 's experience) we reached the Rideau Canal ten minutes too 

late for the vessel, which went off sooner than was expected ; but as 
there were four locks to be passed here (thirty- seven ultimately) we 
drove off to catch her at some convenient point, but at the distance 
of two miles she came up to us, having already been left behind. 
The onlv misfortune was, that as she could not come close to the 



98 AUTUMN FOREST TINTS. ' 

shore, we had to reach her by means of a raft, which happened to 

be moored at the edge of the water ; both R and I got soused 

over our ankles. We were all day in wet things, the stove not 
being powerful enough to dry us. However, the excitement and 
interest of travelling are so conducive to health, that we caught no 
cold, though, in addition to wet feet, we had a rainy afternoon, and 
the vessel was so small and close, that I preferred staying on deck 
under an umbrella to the shelter of a crowded cabin. It was con- 
soling that the edges of the canal afforded some picturesque views. 
We passed one fall, and when we got into the wide calm stream of 
the river itself, its banks were interesting. Here I first saw true 
swamps — wastes of water, with occasional cedars, stumps, and reeds ; 
blasted or sickly-looking trees and shrubs appearing at intervals 
above the surface. To my surprise, among the submerged vegeta- 
tion I saw now and then log-cabins, with the heads of women and 
children peeping out of the doors or windows — not Indians, but 
Europeans. What beings can they be who choose to inhabit such 
places in a country where there is certainly no lack of dry locations ! 
These spots looked like the personifications of ague and yellow 
fever; but sometimes the banks of the Rideau are embellished (like 
all American rivers at this season of the year) with thickets of 
scarlet and gold, each beautiful form and shape dressed in the most 
gorgeous colours possible to imagine. I suppose it is the hotter sun 
and sudden night frosts which tint the foliage with hues of a bril- 
hancy unknown to us, though I suspect we have not exactly the 
same trees, with the exception of a few in our gardens. The sugar 
.maple, the soft maple, and the scarlet and white oak, are the chief 
pigments for colouring American forests. I should like, as an expe- 
riment, to plant enough of these together in England to see if they 
would dress themselves as becomingly on our side of the Atlantic : 
the Virginian creeper does so ; and then we could shade them with 
copper beech, which would make the picture still more beautiful. 

The Prince Albert steamer is little worthy of its royal designa- 
tion, for it is the smallest and dirtiest vessel I have seen in Canada, 
excepting, perhaps, that wretched ferry-boat at Point Levi ; but the 



RIDEAU CANAL. 99 

railroads are superseding canals, and already there is not traffic 
enough to pay any company for good accommodation. I found on 
board an agreeable lady from Norfolk, who has settled with a bro- 
ther in this country, near Ottawa. She regrets I did not visit the 
pretty place of her relative, about six miles above the Falls at the 
suspension bridge. This lady had an excellent English maid, who 
was made so happy by meeting with mine, that as mistresses and 
maids suited equally well, we agreed to fall in with each other (if 
possible) again at Hamilton, in order to visit Niagara together. I 
disembarked at Brookville, with a host of German emigrants, all of 
whom being unable to speak either English or French, they were 
under the guidance of a conductor, who appeared careful of his 
charge. But there were not carts or carriages enough to convey 
these 2:)oor people, with their great boxes and their bedding; and 
when we got to the railroad-station at Kemp Town, three miles' dis- 
tance, the train was delayed more than two hours, until the emigrant 
party could be brought up ; so instead of our reaching Prescott 
early enough to cross over to the hotel at Ogdensburg, on the Ame- 
rican side the St. Lawrence, before sunset, the ferry-boat did not put 
us and our bao-o^aore on shore till dark. Not a carriage or a cart 
was to be seen upon the landing-place, and we thought ourselves in 
a desperate fix. However, a good-natured woman, who had also 
crossed over, and who was acquainted with the locality, set off with 

R , while T stayed in charge of the baggage. They returned 

with an old Irishman, driving his small cart. He was very civil, and 
succeeded in guiding our little party across a rotten plank bridge, 
and then took us safely through the dark and rather difficult streets 
to a comfortable hotel. Canada, and this bank of the St. Lawrence, 
will now advance rapidly under happier circumstances; but hitherto 
it has evidently been kept back and misgoverned, materially as well 
as morally ; and in consequence, everything on each side the water 
is twenty years behind other American shores — hotels, conveyances, 
cultivation, habits. During our detention in the railway cars at 
Kemp Town, I listened with interest to a long political conversation 
among some Upper Canadian gentlemen. They spoke of Lord 



100 SEAT OF GOVERNMENT. 

Elgin's late visit to this j^art of the coimtry, and they said that it 
was a well-merited triumphal progress, for, in their opinion, he had 
proved himself the most honest and able Governor that had ever 
ruled them ; and that his giving up the reins must be a matter of 
regret to all reasonable Canadians. But (they remarked) he has so 
ordered the Government that it must now be our own fault if evils 
are not rectified, and if our country is otherwise than prosperous ; 
for we have now a truly free and constitutional executive, whilst till 
within these last ten years our freedom has been a fiction. Only 
time and patience are now required, that we may learn how to use 
our power of self-government to the best advantage. They spoke 
of the probability that the seat of government would eventually be 
fixed either at Ottawa or Toronto. 

There is a proposal now before the Legislature for erecting a 
Parliament house, and all buildings necessary for the executive, at 
the former place. But in spite of the rapidity with which every- 
thing is done in America, it must require many years to prepare 
the necessary accommodation at Ottawa, though the growth of 
Canada, and its central situation, may ultimately point to that place 
as the best capital of the country. The city has several hills which 
would admit of strong fortifications. Three fine rivers afford the 
advantage of immense water power, and there are railroads in pro- 
gress, which will be the means of rapid communication in every 
direction. It has good limestone, excellent clay for brick-making, 
and virgin forests, extending hundreds of miles towards Hudson's Bay, 
with an active and energetic population of about sixteen thousand, 
carrying on thriving woollen manufactories, and gigantic saw-mills. 
The terminus of the Rideau Canal is surrounded by fine scenery : 
I can hardly imagine a place more likely to become the site of a 
great and thriving city. 

Neither Quebec, nor Montreal, nor Toronto, offers all these desi- 
derata, though the latter place, in ten years, has increased its popu- 
lation ninety-five per cent. I can imagine a vast empire, embracing 
New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, having for its capital ' Ottawa,' 



THE FUTURE OF CANADA. 101 

and with its ports upon the sea-coast and the St. Lawrence, becom- 
ing one day a power equal to the United States ; these two great 
nations, each encouraging a wholesome rivalry in the arts of peace 
and good government, content to be agreeable and hospitable neigh- 
bours, without envying or coveting each other's possessions, but 
setting an example to Europe of Anglo-Saxan perseverance and 
industry. This may be no more than a pleasant dream ; it may be 
that nations will never be convinced that there is a more noble game 
than that of cutting throats and robbing fellow-creatures. Still, I 
have better hopes from civilization and progress ; those who live 
twenty years longer, will, perhaps, be convinced such hopes are not 
fallacious ; in the meanwhile there is no harm in hoping the best. 
I might have written this, in no very good humour with things as 
they are, for our journey to Cobourg was the least agreeable of any 
journey I have yet made, on this side the Atlantic. 

Being told we must be ready to meet the Lord Elgin steamer 
at Prescott, by seven o'clock, Wednesday morning, we crossed over 
exactly at that hour ; but it was half-past nine before the boat arrived, 
so for more than two hours we had to stand waiting on the wharf; 
luckily the sun shone, and it was not very cold. When the steamer 
took us on board we passed successfully through the Thousand 
Islands, and beautiful they are : of every possible form, and in size 
from an acre to several miles, they lie glowing and gleaming upon 
the blue waters, making the most singular labyrinth in the world. 
Of course we could not see the half of them. Arrived at Kingston, 
we changed our steamer for that called the Bay of Quinte. Upon 
one of the smallest islands a solitary man has resided in a tiny cabin 
for years ; he seldom looks at, or is seen by, the passing vessels. 
He raises no flowers ; apparently he has not even a potato ground 
in cultivation. What can he do ? I saw nothing like a canoe ; and 
it does not seem that he even visits the opposite shores. A fine 
moonlit evening succeeded our brilhant morning; about eleven 
o'clock at night we hove-to to take in wood from an island of con- 
siderable extent, belonging to Lord Mount-Cashel, which, I was in- 



102 FKIMITIVE LOCOMOTION. 

formed, is in the market : it is extremely fertile, and has a village 
with a church belonging to it.* By midnight we reached Belville 
— another dreary Canadian town, where if it had not been for the 
captain's assistance, we should have again been without a vehicle ; 
he was so obliging as to get a small waggon of his own, with a quiet 
horse, which I was able to drive ; and thus we reached a small 
hotel, from whence we were told a good coach would start at four '' 
o'clock in the morning for Cobourg ; but no beds were to be had ; 
we got a sitting-room with only a hard sofa, and a few harder chairs, 
so I was not unwilling to start at the appointed hour. Till near 
three the house was in an uproar with the noise made by smoking 
and drinking customers ; it was six before the coach (which turned 
out the roughest covered waggon. I ever travelled in) came to the 
door ; and then, without any breakfast, except a cup of miserable tea 
and a few biscuits, procured at a stopping place by the way, we were 
jumbled over very bad roads, forty-five instead of thirty-five miles, 
to Cobourg,f glad to turn out of our uncomfortable vehicle about 
five o'clock. We found some difficulty in procuring beds at the 
hotels, owing to an agricultural meeting that day, and a steeple- 
chase which was ridden yesterday ; but I had lettere which procured 
us the hospitable reception I have found in this house ; and a deli*g-ht- 
ful expedition to the Rice Lake yesterday ; which was a compensa- 
tion for the unpleasant journey from Belville. Mrs. H kindly 

took a drive of fourteen miles, to show me that charming lake 
village, which has only been settled about eight years. A half-pay 
colonel was the first who bought part of the Rice Lake shore, where 
we visited him. Another pleasing family soon became his neighbours, 
and now there is a thriving village, with its hotel and church, in the 
most beautiful situation possible. This lake may be about as large 
as, or larger than, Windermere. Indians still live upon its shores ; 

one of their villages is nearly opposite, and a fine bridge for the 

» 

* Here we had entered in the Bay of Quinte, so called from a French- 
man who first navigated it. 

f About twenty miles on the Belville side of Cobourg we first saw Lake 
Ontario, and almost coasted it to the latter place. 



RICE LAKE. 103 

Peterborough railway extends three miles over the middle of the 
lake. We crossed the Trent River, which flo^s from it, upon a 
bridge some miles farther, on the Belville road ; the country from 
thence is highly cultivated. We passed fields of turnips, and 
orchards loaded with apples, between Cobourg and Colburn ; but 
twenty miles from Belville the land looks poor and dreary, and very 
little cleared from stumps and fallen timber. Cobourg itself is a 
clean, regularly built small town, with three pretty good hotels, and 
many shops well supplied. A steam-boat will take us to Toronto at 
night ; it is about sixty miles' distance on Lake Ontario. 

October 14. — I slept on board the Mcqile-leaf last night, although 
we reached Toronto before eleven o'clock ; but there were com- 
fortable ' state-rooms,' and I had found so much inconvenience from 
landing at night in strange places, that I was glad to accede to the 
captain's proposition for our sleeping in the vessel. He greatly re- 
lieved my mind by an assurance that the unhappy Arctic was not 
sunk by collision with the Cleopatra, which must have been hun- 
dreds of miles distant, but that it was a French propeller with which 
she came in contact. It does seem an extraordinary recklessness 
which causes these dreadful occurrences, when railroad w^histles 
would guard against thera. Why are they not attached to every 
vessel ? They are universally used upon the American lakes, and 
the captains tell me they can be heard at ten miles' distance ; yet 
we submit to the risk of our vessels running one another down, 
rather than make use of this reasonable precaution, just as we retain 
our separate railroad carriages, at the risk of being burned, or mur- 
dered, or doubled up, rather than travel in long cars, or have a line 
of communication through the small ones. I heard the other day 
that one of the public carriages used on this side the Atlantic costs 
£*750, but as that holds from sixty to eighty passengers, I imagine 
it is less expensive than our compartments which hold six or eight 
and in the larger ones we have the advantage of ready communica- 
tion, and T think more air with less dust. We left Cobourg about 
one o'clock, and it was a pleasant voyage along this sea-like lake to 
Toronto. This large town is so English in habits and appearance, 



104 TORONTO. 

that I can hardly believe myself visiting the capital of Upper Cana- 
da. We are in a comfortable hotel, kept by a Mrs. Ellah, who 
came from Plymouth, and was originally housekeeper to Lord Sea- 
ton. She is very happy to see English customers, and we feel at 
home in her house. It was a wet morning when we landed ; but 
in the afternoon I drove to see the cemetery, which in Canada, as 
in all the towns in America, appears to be placed on one of the 
most picturesque spots in the neighbourhood. That at Toronto is 
called Bon-vale. A stream runs through the pretty dell which 
forms part of the enclosure, and this, with the hills above, forms the 
burying-ground. It is about two miles from the town, and is also 
named St. James's Cemetery. Here I found (in seed) a smaller 
Anemone than that which grew at the spot appropriated for the 
same purpose at Hull, overlooking the great Falls of the Ottawa — 
the only two localities in which I have found Anemonies. 

October 15. — Fine early, but like a cold March day in England. 
The north-westerly wind was high, having much the sharpness of 
our easterly breezes. This hotel is a large square red-brick build- 
ing, in what is called Front-street, facing the bay. A railroad runs 
between it and the water, which here looks like a river not much 
wider than the St. Lawrence, the indentation from the lake is so 
deep. I see nothing like a mountain in the neighbourhood, or even 
at any distance from Toronto ; and the forests by which the town is 
backed are at too great a distance. The country for some miles 
round is flat, well cleared, and in good cultivation ; but, with the 
exception of the little dell I visited yesterday, there is no other at- 
traction of scenery than the ocean-like waters of Ontario ; but the 
streets are wide and well laid out. When polished a little, Toronto 
will be a noble city, though Ottawa may hereafter vie with it as one 
of the capitals of Canada. 

October 16. — The cathedral here is a pretty new church, in 
style, early perpendicular. It was built by a young architect from 
England, of the name of Cumberland, and is very creditable to his 
taste. The eastern termination is an apse rather than a chancel. 
I thought the windows particularly good, and they will be beautiful 



LAKE ONTARIO. 105 

when a little painted glass is introduced, with a due regard to har- 
monious colouring ; this happily must be done in small compart- 
ments, as the glass is already thus arranged : it is almost entirely in 
patterns formed by triangles, with a small cross in the centre of each 
circular termination ; but these triangular panes are so varied in 
size and shape (although there are few much larger than the old 
diamond pane) that a pretty light design is the result of these dif- 
ferent combinations ; the lead which divides and unites them is very 
small and light. A service was performed, half-an-hour longer and 
half-an-hour later than any at Quebec ; so that I did not think it so 
well arranged here as there, where it was conducted with equal at- 
tention to the ordinary routine, but without tedium. Yesterday was 
bitterly cold, so that I heaped on every wrap in my possession ; and 
if this is only a foretaste of a Canadian winter, I feel happy at the 
idea of escaping from it ; for, though every one tells me about the 
delights of sleighing in clear, bright, frosty weather, that does not 
sound tempting to me. This morning I saw the new University, 
and at the Parliament-house Professor Hincks showed me his com- 
mencement of a museum of natural history, already containing some 
very interesting specimens. 

October IV. — I left Toronto at two o'clock yesterday by the 
Highlander. Having been assured that we should reach Hamilton 
in daylight, I was weak enough to be again deluded by uncertain 
or false information ; but the steamer stopped so often at various 
towns and settlements (among them Port Credit and a pretty little 
place called Oakville), that it was quite dark before we arrived; and 

if it had not been for the kindness of my friend Miss C and 

her nephew, who came down to the wharf with their carriage to 
take charge of me, I should have put up with any accommodation 
on board, rather than have run the risk of another landing like 
those at Ogdensburg and Belville, — not only disagreeable, but, as it 
appears to me, really dangerous; for on these wharves there is 
nothing to protect strangers from walking over the edge into the 
water ; and a few weeks ago, at Cobourg, a poor young woman, 
carrying her infant (although she had her husband with her) stepped 
6 



106 DEMONSTRATION AT HAMILTON. 

ofif the side, and was drowned, with the child, before any assistance 
could be afforded her. I was hospitably received at the house of 
Mr. B , and passed an agreeable evening. 

October 18. — AVhen I came down to breakfast yesterday, I was 
told the reason of all the bell-ringing and firing I heard last night ; 
having been so accustomed to noise, I went to sleep without any 
idea that news had arrived, after I went to bed, about a great victo- 
ry over the Russians, and the taking of Sebastopol. This came by 
telegraph from New York ; and about midnight the Mayor and in- 
habitants assembled, amid cheers for the Queen and groans for the 
Czar, to fire a salute of twenty-one guns ; and no place in England 
could evince more joy and loyal feeling than the town of Hamilton, 
at the west end of Lake Ontario. I understand there were equal 
rejoicings at Toronto, where a large bonfire was added, to mark the 
event ; but some touch of sorrow for the unhappy victims of the 
Russian Emperor's ambition among his people, and anxiety about our 
own gallant friends, makes us rejoice with trembling. It is impossi- 
ble not to dread the details, while we are thankful for the results. 

Yesterday, I was taken a beautiful drive of sixteen miles to An- 
caster, an older settlement than this. We first went up what is here 
called the mountain — a clift-like hill, supposed to have once been 
bounded by a vast sheet of water, which covered this whole country ; 
so that the northern shore of the St. Lawrence, up to Quebec, was 
then also another limit. Li our way back to Hamilton, we came by 
a fine Macadamized road, descending gradually, in a manner which 
reminded me of Haldon-hill, in Devonshire ; beautifully wooded 
park-like ground, gullies, and ravines, on our right hand, terminated 
by a high mountainous ridge, along the side of which the London 
railroad is carried, passing by the settlement of Dundas, which has 
already a population of about five thousand, which has located itself 
in a pretty valley between the hills. Passing along this district, I 
could imagine myself in a well-cultivated picturesque part of Eng- 
land, if the superabundance of timber and the ' snake fences' (con- 
taining more wood upon fifty acres than we should use to fence five 
hundred in the old country) did not speak plainly of American for- 



MILTON. 10*7 

ests. Before the lapse of ten years, Hamilton, following the promise 
of most Canadian towns, will be a large city. It has already spread 
itself out some miles, and building is going on in every direction. 

This morning Miss C promises to take a drive of fifty miles 

with me, to find out a family (settled at a plac'e called Milton), 
about whom I am interested. 

October 19. — I succeeded in discovering the M family, and 

we were fully repaid for a long drive, by the joyous gratitude with 
which our visit was received. We found Milton to be a thriving 
small town on the banks of part of the Sixteenth River (why this 
name, we could not make out). An annual show of cattle and agri- 
cultural produce made the place like a fair, and numbers of very 
respectable-looking farmers were walking and driving about. We 
found two daughters of Mr. M ; one of them wife of the princi- 
pal hotel keeper, the other married to a well informed, gentlemanly 
young man, the doctor of the place, who has good connections in 
England. We dined with them, and afterwards walked three miles 

with her father, to his own ftirm. We found Mrs. M knitting, 

seated by a glorious log fire, and everything around told of the com- 
forts and contentment of a good English farm-house. These farms 
are divided into what are called lots ; each lot is one hundred acres. 
Mr. M purchased a lot and a half. These fai-ms are much bet- 
ter cleared from trees and stumps than the land through which we 
passed from the Rideau canal to Belville ; and this part of Canada 
is altogether much more advanced than the lower division. 

We got back to Hamilton by dark, without any difficulty. Next 

day, Mr. B drove me to the suspension bridge, over the canal, 

near Dundum Castle, the residence of Sir A. M'Nab ; though a pretty 
situation, it is placed between the lake and a marsh, on which ac- 
count it is considered very unhealthy. We' visited the cemetery en- 
closing the ground where the British troops were entrenched before 
the battle of Stony Creek. By the cars which start at three o'clock, 
Miss C and Mr. S promise to go with me to Niagara. 

October 20. — Niagara. — We had a fine afternoon for our jour- 
ney to this beautiful place, and soon after leaving the railroad cars, 



108 FALLS OF NIAGARA. 

I got my first view of the Falls. I had not a feeling of disappoint- 
ment ; they are quite as magnificent as any imagination need de- 
sire. I was told that the Falls of Montmorenci had the advantage 
of some feet in heigth ; but it would be as reasonable to compare the 
Thames with the St. Lawrence, as the Falls of Montmorenci with 
Niagara ! I was up before six this morning, to see the sun rise ; it 
appeared above the horizon, between the village of Niagara and the 
American Fall, rather behind both : a fine red sun, promising good 
weather, I settled in my own mind, I would try to make a drawing- 
to-morrow at this same hour, with the salmon-coloured sky in con- 
trast with the white waters. This first day it was impossible to draw ; 
I could only look ; for some hours we walked about ; I wandered 
into the wood behind the Table Rock, or rather where the Table 
Rock once was ; for it has now nearly fallen into the boiling waters 
beneath. There I gathered two of those beautiful flowers I first found 
at Point Levi — Lobelia Kalmii and Gentiana Saponaria ; and down 

close to the brink of the river, above the Falls, Mr. S and I 

picked up three or four kinds of shells ; one very small bivalve, differ- 
ing from any I found in the Rideau. After dinner we took a carriage, 
and went over that marvellous suspension bridge, below the Falls, 
connecting the two shores, already open for traffic beneath, but not 
yet finished for the railroad cars to pass over above. I felt rather 
glad ; it was awful enough now to pass, looking down hundreds of 
feet upon the racing torrent below. I do not think I could endure 
being in a carriage upon this bridge, with a railroad train rushing 
over my head, yet it is constituted for, and believed capable of sup- 
porting all together. The engineer is a German. This is only a little 
less wonderful than the Montreal tubular construction. Many peo- 
ple still doubt the success of both, and consider it beyond the power 
of humanity to pass, as proposed, over the chasm of Niagara, or to 
combat the waters and ice of the St. Lawrence; time will show. M}'- 
courage was again tried in traversing the wooden bridges which are 
built over the rapids between Niagara city and Goat Island. That 
place also, was quite different from what either my imagination, or 
drawings had led me to suppose. I expected to see an uninhabited, 



A PROFITABLE ESTATE. 109 

rocky, woody, small island, dividing the two grand Falls ; but it con- 
tains fifty acres, the greater part a grove of fine trees, and upon one 
side tliere are bouses and gardens, with a productive orchard. Upon 
the other shore it appears as if island, and trees, and people, must all 
tumble down the Falls together; indeed between rapids and torrents, 
it is a marvel that Goat Island exists. I must spend a day in trying 
to draw here, though without a hope that paper and pencil can give 
any real idea of the truth. The news to-day is, that the accounts of 
the fall of Sebastopol are false, and that we have been rejoicing 
without reason. Terrible fighting is still going on, and already ninety 
British officers have fallen. Alas ! 

October 21. — I covered myself with wraps, and put a blanket 
round my feet, so as to be able to endure a sunrise from the verandah 
long enough to draw yesterday. It rose red and clear, and almost 
clouldless, and afforded the colouring I wished for. Mr. and Mrs. 

B obligingly called in their carriage, to show us the whirlpool, 

where the river suddenly turns below the suspension bridge ; we 
went also to the rapids beyond and above the Falls. Everything 
here is on a larger scale than I expected, though I ought by this 
time to be prepared for all. When I looked down upon the whirl- 
pool, and saw the carcase of a wretched horse (which had, we sup- 
pose, been accidentally hurried down the Falls) twirling round about, 
and up and down, in appearance like a small wooden Dutch toy, I 
was in some degree made sensible of height and distance ; a house 
too, on the rocky, wooded point opposite, was no more than a speck, 
so that, by comparison, I brought my ideas to something like fact. 

The English are accused of being a grasping nation in requiring 
fees for sights, but nothing I ever met with equals the charges for 
the contemplation of Nature here. The possessor of Goat Island 
makes one thousand pounds a year of those strangers or visitors who 
land on its shores ; but this day we were actually charged one shilling 
each for only going into the wood, from whence a good view of the 
whirlpool can be obtained ! As ground is becoming of great value 
in this neighbourhood, it may be necessary to require payment for 
keeping any part of it free from the desecration of taverns and saw- 



110 NIAGARA. 

mills; but a more moderate fee would answer better to the pro- 
prietors, and not act as a prohibition to a large class who have not 
many spare shillings in their pockets ; penny postage proves that 
small charges answer better than large ones. This has been another 
beautiful day, and I trust we shall be favoured by such weather 
during our stay among this most magnificent, most lovely, and most 
interesting of all scenery. Yesterday was pleasantly warm, and if 
the sun shines out for a day or two longer, we shall be as fortunate 
in temperature as possible, for earlier in the year the heat and the 
mosquitoes are trying ; now we have no reason to complain of either, 
and the great stream of visitors being over, we are here just at the 
right time for enjoyment, and I must remain some days, for there is 
no end to the beauties of Niagara — it ought to be visited for weeks 
instead of days ; besides the great variety of view^s and objects on all 
sides — the ever changing appearance of the Falls, spray sometimes 
going up from the centre in columns and graceful curves, now half 
concealing, now lessening, now enlarging — rainbows starting across, 
and above and below — waters, snow-like, surge-like — aquamarine, 
emerald, sapphire, swelling, eddying, foaming ! It is certainly worth 
crossing the Atlantic for Niagara alone. I have come to an end of 
my paper, and this shall go. 

Yours affectionately, 

A. M. M. 



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LETTER XL 

NIAGARA. 

Niagara, October 23, 1854 

My dear Friends, — 

Upon Goat Island yesterday, I parted witli the two agreeable 
friends who have added to my enjoyment here by sharing it. I 
spent the whole afternoon that side the water, having passed to and 
fro by the ferry, and mounted by the rail and endless chain, at the 
very edge of the American Falls. Both these operations are awful, 
though perfect!}^ safe ; and it required some determination upon my 
part to be reconciled to profit by them, though they put one across 
the river in half the time required to go round by the suspension 
bridge. I tried to give some idea of the two cataracts on paper, 
which, at any rate, will be recollections for myself. I suppose it is 
not possible to impress their grandeur upon the minds of others by 
any representations. For the first time, I felt rather angry at the 
impertinent kind of curiosity evinced by passers-by while I was draw- 
ing, because they did not seem to care the least about disturbing or 
annoying strangers busily engaged. A well-dressed woman said, in 
a rude way, ' Pray what are you making there ? You are a Canadian, 
I guess ? ' I replied, ' I am making nothing ; I am trying to draw.' 
' Oh, you are — how do you do it? — where do you come from V I 
felt provoked and said, ' I am sure you are an American.' ' Well, 
how do you know that ? ' ' Because you ask so many questions ; a 



112 I^IAGARA. 

Canadian would be more civil.' This answer was effectual, and she 
turned away. Since my stay here, I have observed more of unplea- 
sant manners, as I have read of them in books, than fell in my way 
during my tour from Boston in August ; and, certainly, among the 
secondary classes, I see little of the marked attention supj^osed to be 
shown to ladies in the States. Last night, in the ladies' saloon here, 
two gentlemen kept po-ssession of the most comfortable arm-chairs 

all the evening, and when Miss C and I entered the room, 

round which was a circle of strangers from various localities, not one 
among them rose to offer us seats, so we walked out again up and 
down a corridor till some of these people absquatulated. This might 
be accidental, but I do not think it could have occurred in the old 
country. It seems to me that the Americans mistake rudeness for 
republicanism, and incivility for independence. Nationally, I mean, 
for of course there is polished society, as I have been perfectly ready 
to admit. Yesterday, a lady from one of the Southern States re- 
marked, that we ' English still owed America a grudge for what was 
past.' I could not help assuring her she was mistaken, for that 
neither man, woman, nor child in the British Isles now troubled 
themselves about the war of American Independence, except to think 
their ancestors unwise for having fought about it. The day before 
yesterday, I was busy making a little sketch from the verandah, 
when I felt a hand familiarly laid upon my shoulder. Of course I 
supposed it was a lady with whom I had some acquaintance, but 
when a strange voice asked a question I turned round : it was with 
no small degree of astonishment that I found the liberty was taken 
by a perfect stranger, a young lady, apparently about twenty, who 
had been one of the last arrivals. She did not seem the least 
daunted by the expression of surprise which must have passed over 
my face, but went on questioning me with the coolest manner 
imaginable ! The Indians and their squaws have the manners of 
gentlemen and ladies, and it does seem curious that even individuals, 
among a people who are so anxious to assume the names of gen- 
tility, should remain so wholly ignorant of the manners which are 
supposed to indicate a superior station and a refined education. I 



MANNERS OF THK SQUAWS. |13 

do not the least quarrel with the simplicity of the Bush, and the 
poor woman who took possession of the pattern of my gown, and 
the men who claimed a right to my sketch-book, were most welcome • 
but the mixture of assumption of high breeding with inattention to 
the common rules of politeness, not even that natural feeling of re- 
gard which a common Anglo-Saxon blood originates, can make one 
excuse. Indeed I think our relationship makes it more gallino-, for 
a parent is always observant of the errors of her children, and it is 
perhaps in some degree the fault of the mother-country when her 
descendants are unpolished. She may well be proud of the eneroy 
and perseverance of her large American family : it is to be hoped 
that some day their young people may add graces from the old 
country to the agility of the new, and that they will not be ashamed 
of cultivating the virtue of filial affection, which at present they seem 
to conclude would be a feeling derogatory to their risino- dio-nity. At 
this juncture it is difficult to believe that parts of the Democratic 
Union actually sympathize with Despotic Russia rather than with 
Free England ! I do not believe this to be the case with the flower 
of the land, or with the really superior and enlightened of her sons- 
but I fear many would sympathize in a wish I heard heartily ex- 
pressed by one of them, 'That the old country might get well sold 
and thoroughly whipped during the present war ! ' No details have 
yet arrived of the Alma battle, excepting that there has been sad 
loss of life. The first news was probably falsehood, spread by the 
Russians with the view of creating dissatisfaction when the real facts 
became known ; but what must be the weakness of a despot who 
can resort to such expedients to bolster himself up — conduct more 
like the futile struggles of a maniac, than the efforts of a powerful 
Sovereign. Before going to Albany, I intend to visit the neighbour- 
hood of Sandwich, and of Detroit and Cleveland ; and to do this, we 
must again pass through Hamilton and return to Niagara; but, as 
I shall have no other opportunity, I must take advantao-e of this 
last week in October, go from hence to-morrow, and return for one 
night to this house in my way into the States. It is satisfactory 
that a good reason exists for seeing Niagara once again. 



114 AN OLD IRISHWOMAN. 

October 24. — A beautiful day, with a bright young moon in the 
evening. I was out alone from morning till dusk. While sitting 
sketching on the hill, an old Irishwoman accosted me, but with a 
very difterent tone and manner from those people I met with yes- 
terday. 'Ah, ma'am,' she said, 'you are from the ould country; 
and sure you are making a plan of the glorious waters.' ' How do 
you know I am from the old country ? ' ' An" sure then, an' don't I 
know English ladies at once ; they're so busy, an' they don't dress 
as fine as our folks.' I found she had been twenty-five years in 
Canada; that she has eight sons and daughters, a good husband, 
cows and horses, a thriving farm here, and one hundred acres of 
land at Toronto, and now, she said, she no longer fretted to go back 
once more to Ireland, because ' Isn't the dear ould father dead at last ; 
and he one hundred and eight years of age, and never had a doctor 
till the last hour, and was able to keep his church, two miles' dis- 
tance, till he was laid on his bed a-dying.' She told me she had 
given her children a good education, and ' that her daughters were 
not dressy, nor her sons drinkers.' It is singular that these Irish 
people are so difterent in their habits away from their own land. 
There is an electric telegraph in communication with all the lines 
from this place in the house. Mr. Shears, the master, conducts it; 
he sent a message to Sandwich for me last night, and one for a 
mihtary oflScer to Quebec; and we had both replies in half an hour. 
This hotel belongs to a company : it is by far the most pleasantly 
situated at Niagara ; those on the other side of the water have no 
views of the cataract. The vibration caused throughout this build- 
ing by the falling waters makes every door and window shake ; but 
it is not enough to disturb the rest of a traveller, and one soon gets 
accustomed to it. Besides the main hotel, there are several small 
separate houses behind, which can be taken for the summer or for 
short periods, by families who prefer a more domestic life. I can 
hardly imagine pleasanter summer residences. 

October 26. — Detroit. National Hotel. — Again I had the mis- 
fortune of travelling last night for three hours in the dark — thus 
losing the prettiest of the scenery between this place and Niagara, 



LAKES ERIE AND ST. CLAIR. 116 

The first part of the raih-oad line from Hamilton runs through mono- 
tonous forests, only occasionally broken by clearings and rising towns. 
We passed through the township of Dundas, and by Paris, Prince 
Town, London, <fec., and crossed over the River Thames, which is but 
a small stream, even comparing it with our Thames ; but for America 
it is little more than a brooklet, at least that part I saw. As far as I 
could judge by the bright starlight, for about twenty miles from this 
place the road is carried along a fine terrace overlooking the country 
towards Lake Erie, and as we approached Detroit, Lakes Erie and 
St. Clair looked beautiful, with shores dotted by lights from the towns 
of Windsor and Detroit. They were so numerous that it appeared 
like an illumination. Our journey was less pleasant than any I have 
yet made, owing to the crowded state of the railroad cars ; though 
the train was a long one, some passengers were actually obliged 
to stand the whole distance. This crowd was owing to the numerous 
emigrants who^are coming up the country ; and several little children 
wailed and fretted all the afternoon, evidently tired and exhausted by 
continued travelling. However, the people were good-humoured 
and patient ; I heard no cross words, saw no ill-natured scrambling ; 
everyone appeared to make the best of things as they were ; and 
though we were near two hours after our time, there was nothing 
like a sfrumble. The station-master was so civil as to take me across 
the w^ater, as he recommended this hotel as more comfortable than 
those on the Canada side. We passed over in a few minutes in such 
a magnificent steamer (where people from the railroad cars found 
a comfortable meal ready prepared in the saloon) that it was only 
like walking through a good house. Ormolu lamps, mirrors, and 
sofas— it was difficult to realize the fact that we have been journeying 
through the backwoods of Canada. I am surprised to find Detroit 
ah-eady a city of forty thousand inhabitants, and one of the finest I 
have yet seen on this side of the Atlantic. A large open space in 
the centre will some of these days be a magnificent square. There 
are a number of churches, chiefly with spires. The streets are Avide, 
some of them planted with avenues of trees. The town contains two 
very large hotels, besides many smaller ones. The one 1 inhabit haf 



116 A PERFECT PANORAMA. 

a dining-room one hundred and twenty feet in length, capable of con- 
taining four rows of tables in the width, a ladies' saloon, and other 
rooms in proportion ; and I am told the Biddle House is equally com- 
modious. Almost all these places have lanterns in the roof. After 
breakfast, the master took me up to the one here, from which the 
view astonished me. I have heard there is no place in the world from 
which you can see five miles in every direction, except from the top of 
the highest mountains, but this place belies that assertion : it is a per- 
fect panorama, and as there are no hills in this part of the country, 
one sees in every direction from ten to twenty, and possibly thirty 
miles. On one side Lake St. Clair, with the beautiful River Detroit 
connecting it and the Lake Erie (about twenty miles distant). The 
town runs along the banks of the river, Windsor and Sandwich, both 
in Canada, on the other shore. Numbers of vessels are passing and 
repassing, and there is an uninterrupted water communication 
through all these fine lakes and rivers, two thousand miles, to the 
Gulf of St. Lawrence. What an empire this will be when all its 
resources are developed ! And they are developing with great 
rapidity ; for of all the towns I saw in passing from Niagara yester 
day, not one was in existence twenty years ago. 

October 27. — Yesterday afternoon Mrs. P came to call, and 

kindly brought me at once to this place. Park Farm, in Sandwich. 
We crossed the river without moving from the carriage, and arrived at 

the house in time to take a walk. Colonel P has not gone upon 

the usual plan in this part of the world — that of rooting up the 
forest, without any idea of leaving ornamental timber; and his place 
is beautified by woods, at proper intervals, while the cultivation of 
the land is that of an English farm. The Colonel tells me there is 
fine shooting all about here — deer, within ten miles. Yesterday, he 
and his son brought in as many snipes, woodcocks, and a small kind 
of quail, as they chose to shoot. 

October 28. — A dreadful accident occurred very early yesterday 
morning, near Chatham, about fifteen miles from Detroit ; upon the 
same railroad by which we came from Niagara. Some trucks, filled 
with gravel, were proceeding at the rate of sixteen miles an hour, 
actually in front of the express train, going at the rate of forty. Of 



A PENITENT RUNAWAY. HY 

course there was a collision ; tbree or four of the first cars were 
smashed ; and it is believed that sixty or seventy persons are killed • 
exact particulars have not yet reached us ; but this seems one of the 
most fatal of all the railroad catastrophes, and caused entirely by care- 
lessness. There was a dense fog at the time it occurred, but surely 
the gravel-trucks had no business in the way of the coming train. I 
am surprised at the large number of blacks and coloured people 
hereabouts ; nearly all the lowest population appears to consist of 
them ; they are idle, and very insolent in manner. I met with an 
English clergyman on board the Lake Ontario steamer, who was on 
his way to this country, with the intention of making an effort to 
civilize and educate the negroes who have settled here. He told me 
there are at least twenty thousand, chiefly runaway slaves, in Upper 
Canada. One of the evils consequent upon Southern slavery, is the 
ignorant and miserable set of coloured people who throw themselves 

into Canada. Colonel P told me yesterday he was brought 

out home from Windsor, by a black driver, who told him he had 
' run away from his good, kind massa,' years ago ; and that though 
he was free and able to get his own livelihood, he had never ceased 
to repent his folly. The black should be educated for freedom, or 
he is not the happier. If mere children, sent into the world unfit to 
guide themselves, negroes suffer more by freedom than by servitude ; 
and I must regret that the well-meant enthusiasm of the Abolition- 
ists has been without judgment. Dr. Howe, Mr. Dillon, and others 
devoted to the real welfare of the black race, all are of opinion that 
in their case, as in many others, ill-judging friends have proved worse 
than enemies ; and, without having been among the planters, my 
observation in the States, of the majority of free blacks, already leads 
me to the same conclusion. It is not a question between the wicked- 
ness of a system of human bondage and the duty of shaking it off, 
but one as to the wisdom of getting rid of an evil, without making 
use of common sense in the manner of curing it. Colonel and Mrs. 

P took me a drive yesterday afternoon along the shore of the 

Detroit (which is rather a strait, twenty miles long, connecting the 
Lakes St. Clair and Erie, than a river) It looks, in some places, 



118 SCARCITY OF SERVANTS. 

from five to seven miles wide ; and there is no more stream than 
that movement which is occasioned by a shght difference of level 
between the two waters. Some fishermen were fishing for white fish, 
and a kind of fresh-water herring. The nets were taken out in boats, 
as in England ; but, when the ends were to be drawn in, the rope 
was fastened to a windlass, and a horse trotting round and round, 
soon brouofht the net on shore — a saving of both time and labour. 
I saw a curious kind of fish-lizard brought out ; it was about two 
feet in length from the end of the tail to its round cat-like snout ; it 
crawled along the ground on its short legs and tortoise-like feet, and 
was altoo'ether a disofustinof-lookinof beast. The fishermen said its 
bite was very poisonous, and it had the yellowish-brown lurid look 
which seems to appertain to venomous reptiles ; but Dr. Kirtland 
says it is perfectly harmless. We induced them to throw it back 
into the water, where it probably exercises some virtues not to be 
guessed when it is seen out of its natural element. I found many 
little fresh-water shells on the shore, and one mussel, with a wing 
appendage almost like that of a rostellaria. A sunset more lovely 
than any I have before seen ; it promised fine weather — a happy 
promise for me, as I find myself again obliged to take part of my 
voyage to Cleveland by night. No steamer leaves Detroit earlier 
than four o'clock to-day ; but I shall have dayhght for the river, so 
I must be reconciled to being in darkness on Lake Erie, with the 
consolation of a moon, now some days old. Such quantities of apples 
here, rotting on the ground for want of hands to gather them. The 
negroes will not take that trouble, even for pay ; and, in spite of the 
great emigration, labour is much wanted : people are in distress for 

both out-of-door and in-door servants. I walked with Mrs. P 

down to the river : many black and mulatto children were playing 
about near some small log-houses, close to a marsh, on its shore ; 
one clean-looking intelligent girl, about seven, helped to look for 
shells, and then asked me to visit her mother, who, she said, was 
sick in a hut, close by. I followed the child, and found her mother 
in bed, quite alone, with the exception of a tiny black babe, only 
two hours old, by her side. She received me cordially ; conversed 



SANDWICH. 119 

in a cheerful, intelligent manner, and said she was brought by a 
lady from Maryland to this place, twenty years ago, when only 
seventeen years of age ; this kind mistress gave her freedom, and 
she married a husband of her own colour, who works in the boats. 
I said, 'Are you glad to be free?' — 'Oh, am I not? it is only the 
ignorant and the lazy ones who do not care to* be free ; but then 
they be most so.' She has three girls alive, besides her baby-boy, 
whose arrival makes her very happy, because she has lost three boys. 
Everything around this woman spoke of tidy and cleanly habits ; a 
little Bible well bound was on the table close to her bed, and other 
comforts evinced education and order beyond the usual negro habits. 
I afterwards visited the hut of an old negro washerwoman, who 
lived alone, and seemed a kind, industrious old soul. In the other 
houses of the black people, I was told I should find nothing but 
dressy, saucy, idle folk. We were in Detroit to meet the steamer 
at four o'clock ; then it was discovered she would not start till night, 
and after spending many tiresome hours, waiting and expecting, the 
Ocean did not get under way till near midnight ; and when on 
board I found out I might have set off by nine o'clock this beautiful 
morning, if I had gone by a boat to Sandusky, whence a railroad 
Avould have carried me to Cleveland before dusk, and I should have 
steamed up the Detroit River, with a bright sun over my head, in- 
stead of traversing it when even the early moonlight was over. En 
revanche, I had a fine sunrise on Lake Erie. I have now passed one 
night on the St. Lawrence, one on Lake Ontario, and the last on 
Lake Erie, besides two or three landings in the dark ; and this ob- 
scure mode of travelling is so usual on this side the Atlantic, that it 
requires some perseverance and energy, really to acquire knowledge 
about localities in America. To-morrow I shall set forth by rail to 
Buffalo — in daylight, I hope ; so that only the last part of my jour- 
ney will be in the dark, and I shall reach Niagara by moonlight. 
These late slaughtering railroad accidents are enough, I should think, 
to counteract the American and Canadian predilection for night 
travelling. But it does appear as if these active people would rather 
sacrifice their liv^es than lose an hour of their time while they do 



120 CLEVELAND. 

live. ' Dollars and time, time and dollars,' should be the motto on 
this side the Atlantic. Cleveland is another pretty place, with streets 
as wide as those of Detroit, and a growing population of forty 
thousand. New churches here also starting up in every direction. 
Religion has certainly her due place in the hearts of the inhabitants, 
though the worship of Mammon may here, as elsewhere, compete 
with a better faith. 

October 30. — Here I am still at Cleveland, in spite of my resolu- 
tion to return to Niagara this evening ; but it was quite impossible to 
resist the temptations offered by the kindness of Dr. and Mrs. Kirt- 
land, and we slept last night at their house, five miles from hence. 
His garden was the first I have ever seen since that at Cambridge, 
which offered many objects of interest. Besides other plants new to 
me, I gathered berries of a singular colour, greenish blue, from an 
Ampelosis, with briony-like leaves. Dr. Kirtland has paid great at- 
tention to the improvement of fruits, particularly cherries, and he is 
a most scientific naturalist ; his birds, stuffed and arranged by him- 
self, excel those of Waterton ; and the manner in which his entomo- 
logical specimens are preserved is quite unique and admirable ; they 
are in frames, with glass behind and before, so that they can be 
observed on all sides, and when held up to the light, while, being 
rendered impervious to air and unassailable to insects, they are 
indestructible. I am promised a specimen case, which will be an 
invaluable example to collectors and museums in Europe. Dr. 
Kirtland was also so obliging as to give me numerous shells from the 
fresh waters of this district, which differ from those I found on the 
Ottawa and on the shore of Lake Champlain ; and this morning he 
took me a walk through the forests, where I found a great deal of 
the pretty Cornus florida, and seeds of a Geradia, differing from that 
growing near Lake Winnipiseogee. The oak most common here, 
is called the grey oak : there is another with chestnut-shaped leaves 
and a long acorn, and one with deeply cut, small shining leaves. 
The Sassafras and three or four species of poplar also grow in this for- 
est, but no evergreens ; and none are to be seen between a place 
called Paynesville and Detroit, unless in gardens ; no firs, no cedars, 



BATTLE OF THE ALMA. 121 

no Lignum vitae (which grows so beautifully on the banks of the 
Ottawa and the Gatineau, and again at Niagara) ; but the variety of 
trees and shrubs is greater here than in the neighbourhood of Sand- 
wich, where the forests are principally beech, and the white and 
scarlet oak, with tamarisks iu the swamps. The orchards at this 
place are very productive : peaches, cherries, and excellent apples. 
Among the last, the true golden pippin and nonpareil. Dr. Kirtland 
is famed for his cultivation of fruit. 

This evening I have been much interested, having for the first 
time read the details of the sad, though successful battle of Alma ; 
but our heroes have not died in vain — they died as missionaries of 
truth and civilization. Those English and French soldiers who have 
fallen side by side at the battle of Alma, have sealed with their blood 
a lasting alliance between their respective nations ; and thousands of 
serfs will go to school in England, and there learn that they are men. 
I came back to sleep at the AYeddell Hotel, where the accommoda- 
tion is excellent, and we hope to ascertain exactly the hour when a 
railroad train starts for Niagara via Buffalo, to-morrow morning. 
One comfort is, the time of the cars cannot be so difficult to discover 
as that of the steamer Ocean, at Detroit, where we walked up and 
down the wharves for more than two hours, without beino^ able to 
find out from any man, woman, or child, where the great steamer 
had hid herself! People in these rising cities are all too busy to 
know anything that does not concern their immediate objects. 

Novemher 1. — Niagara. — To-day we go to Canandaigua, having 
safely returned last night to this place. 

Novemher 2. — Owing to the impossibility of getting correct in- 
formation, I was sent across country, and we were all day on the 
x\merican shore of the Falls. At half-past seven in the evening the 
cai's did start, but before eight we were brought to a standstill ; for 
the engine and the two first carriages ran off the line, owing to some 
miscreant having removed a rail. No person was injured, but for 
six mortal liours we were kept w^iiting until trains came up each 
wa}?", so as to allow of an exchange of passengers and luggage ; and 
it w^as seven in the morning before the cars which received us at the 



122 CAYUGA LAKE. 

place of stopping reached Canandaigua. The lake there is not so 
picturesque as most of those I have seen ; but there is a nice small 
town, and the house from which I write is the most comfortable and 
best appointed of any I hav^e 5'et seen in the United States. Ithaca 
will be our next halting-place ; it is upon the Cayuga Lake. 

November 5. — Cayuga Lake^ Ithaca. — In our way to this place, 
yesterday, we came by rail to Cayuga Bridge, and there awaited the 
steamboat Forest City^ to carry us forty miles down the lake to 
Ithaca. During the three hours of our detention, I took a walk, 
made a sketch of the place from a spot about a mile and a half oif, 
and found a plane tree, which aj^pears to me to differ from both the 
oriental and occidental, though rather more like the latter. It is 
here called button tree, from its hanging, round seed-vessels. I 
gathered some of the latter nearly ripe, and also a leaf. Upon the 
weeping elms it is interesting to see the httle nest of the hanging 
Oriole, which thus builds out of the reach of danger from terres- 
trial enemies — boy, beast, or reptile. Whether they have winged 
assailants, I do not know. A wind from the north yesterday was 
very cold, and on board the steamboat I was obliged to confine 
myself to the cabin ; the shores of these lakes are pretty, and we 
touched at a village called Aurora, a very rural-looking spot. I saw 
many nice-looking houses, with a better show of flowers and of well- 
kept gardens than is common in America ; and as we advanced 
towards Ithaca, rocks and picturesque gullies became frequent ; the 
country hilly and broken. A railroad, carried to the end of the long 
pier, received us on our landing, and took the passengers to Ithaca, 

a mile beyond, where I found Mr. G had obligingly brought 

his carriage to take me to his home. Sunday : a bright sunshiny 
morning like a fine November day in England. The leaves here 
have nearly all fallen, and it is time to give up touring in the 
Northern States ; but, as I understand the election for the Governor- 
ship of New York takes place on Tuesday, and that on that day 
Governor Seymour will either bo re-elected or supplanted, I shall 
remain here to-morrov>^, and sleep at Syracuse on Tuesday, so as not 
to pay my visit at Albany until the election day is over. 



ITHACA. 123 

Ithaca^ Novemhei 6. — Snow and ice; bitter cold noith-east 

wind, so tliat, though Mrs. G kindly drove me out to make a 

sketch of the place, we were both too cold to fulfil our intentions of 
visiting some of the waterfalls in the neighbourhood. I could only 
view one of the most considerable from a distance. It has a height 
of between two and three hundred feet, and must be fine when -water 
is abundant. From the great depth of these falls, the stream now 
looks only like white gauze spread over the rocks, and it disappears 
in foam. A gentleman told me that the derivation of the word 
Ravine is Ravel^ from the ^vaters being ravelled out as they tumble 
down. 

Syracuse^ November Y. — We came fifty miles round yesterday, 
through the Valley of the Susquehanna, to avoid retracing our way by 
Lake Cayuga. A new railroad was opened only last month, from a 
place called Binghampton (about thirty miles from Ithaca) to Syra- 
cuse. Oswego was our first stopping place ; the inconvenience of 
choosing an indirect route being, that we have to change cars twice. 
Two gentlemen, to whom I was introduced before leaving Ithaca, 
Mr. Cox and Mr. Parker, reside at Oswego. A fine example of 
engineering is displayed in getting the cars up the steep hills, by 
forward and retrogressive movements, with a switch at one point; so 
that the pretty ' Forest City,' Ithaca, is seen at various distances several 
times during the first five miles of the ascent ; but no chains are 
used. The country has a wintry appearance — snow upon the hills, 
and even a little by the wayside. We passed through part of the 
picturesque Valley of the Susquehanna, following that river close 
upon its banks some way. There I saw timber-trees of the hemlock 
spruce ; and at a large town called Homer, five churches, each of 
considerable size, all in a row, without any intervening houses. 
No time or room for more. 

Yours affectionately, 

A. M. M. 










LETTER XII. 



ALBANY. 



Albany, New Tokk, ) 



Nov. 8. 



My dear Friends, — 

A snowy morning at Syracuse made it impossible to see 
anything of that town, or its salt-works ; the valuable briny sjorings 
there so cheapen one great necessary of life, that I am told, twenty 
miles off, a large barrel of salt may be purchased for a dollar. The 
ladies' saloon at the hotel where I slept, exhibited that usual absence 
of occupation which 1 have remarked at all such places — rocking- 
chairs, lounges, and ennui ! One young lady took something 
like a small tract in her hand, and in a few minutes was asleep on 
a sofa — this at half-past ten in the morning. "When a gentleman 
came in, and asked for her — ' Oh ! ' said another lady, her compan- 
ion, ' she's asleep ; but she'll wake up by dinner-time.' And this 
information was not given the least in a satirical tone. We left 
Syracuse by the eleven o'clock train during a thick snow-storm ; 
but at noon sunshine broke out. We passed through a fine country 
by Rome, Utica, and Schenectady, skirting the river at the latter 
place. Ki Little Falls such abundance of rocks ! I longed to stop 
for a botanical scramble among them. Perhaps next June, when the 
weather is more favourable for a visit to Utica and Trenton, I may 
be again at this place. By five o'clock our train reached Albany, — 



GOVERNOR BKTMOUR. 125 

a pleasant, rapid journey of ninety miles, during which the cars 
slided safely and pleasantly along. ]N"o troublesome companions — 
but some pretty young ladies behind me appeared to think them- 
selves privileged to laugh and talk louder than any one else, because 
they were better dressed ; and a gentleman in front evidently con- 
sidered it the bounden duty of an American citizen to be bearish. 
In the hope of softening his temper, I offered him the morning 
paper ; he took it without the smallest acknowledgment, and, when 
done with, put it down without even returning it. Whether he dis- 
covered we were ' British,' and an anti-English feeling possessed him, 
I don't know ; but still there was a spice of kindness lying under 
his sulky manner, for when a poor old woman and a girl entered the 
car, be removed his valise, and gave them his seat. 

While stopping at one of the stations, a tall handsome Indian 
girl, with some bead-work in her hand, entered the car ; she wore a 
picturesque dress, with a black hat and feather, and silently present- 
ing her wares without importunity, she glided on. The noisy and 
reckless, or ungainly, sulky manner of those around contrasted un- 
favourably with the subdued, unobtrusive, graceful dignity of the 
squaw. Nature's gentlemen and gentlewomen, the Indians have a 
true courtesy and a simple politeness, which might be advantageously 
copied by those who are their superiors in knowledge and power. 

The Governor of New York, to whom I was introduced at New- 
port, met us at Albany station, and I am now at his house. In the 
midst of a severe contest with two opponents (an election, for which 
the votes amount to 500,000), he preserves a manner of calm in- 
difference which his friends do not emulate. I confess myself deeply 
interested in the result — not so much for Mr. Seymour's sake (be- 
cause with his love of country pursuits, and his freedom from weak 
ambition, I really believe his personal happiness will rather be in- 
creased than diminished by a return to private life) ; but because I 
believe the welfare of this large population to be well-cared for 
while the power is in his hands. In England we have but little 
idea of the influence exercised by the local Governors in the Union. 
Governor Seymour has the unlimited power of pardoning criminals, 



126 A TRANSATLANTIC WKDDING. 

and is also Commander-in-Chief of tbe Army and Navy of this 'Em- 
pire State.' He holds his office for two years only, unless re-elected 
at the end of that time. In some of the States, the Governor's tenure 
is four years ; and Wright, of Indiana, has now been its head nearly 
eisjht years. They are, to all intents and purposes, constitutional 
sovereigns for the time being ; and seeing a man of Horatio Sey- 
mour's benevolence, judgment, and abihty placed in this situation, 
I shall regret if popular caprice replaces him by an inferior states- 
man. One of the candidates is a 'Know-nothing,' and he has only 
party support. I have no acquaintance with Mr. Clark, the man 
who runs Seymour hard ; if he succeeds, his success will be owing 
to an amiable, though I suspect a mistaken public feeling — about 
the introduction of the Maine prohibitory liquor law. Governor 
Seymour has fearlessly and honestly withheld his assent to the in- 
troduction of that law into this State. Upon all other points, he is 
popular ; but an extreme and (with some) a religious feeling, moves 
the popular opinion, and Chxrk is a ' no liquor man.' None can 
have a more sincere horror of intemperance than myself; but there 
is a use as well as an abuse of all things ; and I doubt the wisdom 
of guiding a people to the wise use of a useful article, by prohibiting 
it altogether. 

Albany^ JS'ov. 10. — I went to a wedding last night : very differ- 
ently arranged from an English marriage, but interesting. A pleas- 
ing, well-attired young bride of twenty — the bridegroom twenty-six. 
They stood side by side, at one end of a well-filled room, while a 
Presbyterian minister addressed a suitable but short exhortation to 
them. He then gave the ring to be placed upon the bride's finger, 
telling her to wear it as a pledge of her husband's affection, and as 
a reminder of her own duties ; and after his blessing upon them 
both, the ceremony was concluded. It took place at eight o'clock, 
in the presence of from two to three hundred friends. The young 
wife remained awhile in her place to receive the kisses of her rela- 
tions, and the congratulations of all. I was introduced ; and she 
thanked me prettily for my presence, and offered her cheek. Her 
dress was just like our English brides, excepting that the white robe 



THE MUSEUM. 127 

had a train. She looked calmly happy. The evening was closed 
by a plentiful standing supper — hot oyster soup, tfcc. In the morn- 
ing I went to see hothouses and greenhouses belonging to a relation 
of Mrs. Seymour, managed by a gardener who was under Sir Joseph 
Paxton. Mr. Morrison does credit to his teacher : he has the best 
managed collection of plants I have seen this side of the Atlantic, 
and a Lycopodium quite new to me. The view from an elevation 
in Mr. Coming's garden is very extensive, overlooking Albany and 
Troy, with fine reaches of the Hudson ; the Oatskill mountains in 
the distance one way, and a range in the northern part of the State 
in the other. It is difficult to realize that in coming from Niagara 
here, I have traversed as much country as if I had journeyed from 
John O'Groat's House to London ! I begin to think nothing of a 
distance of two hundred miles. This evening we spent some time 
in a Museum of Natural History, which is doubly interesting, from 
being entirely confined to the productions of this State; so that, my 
mind not being overwhelmed with variety, I was able to see, and to 
understand what I did see, to much greater advantage. The geology 
of New York is an epitome of that of the world, though it contains 
some details as well as numerous objects not known in Europe. Our 
chalk and oolite beds are wanting ; but at some hundreds of miles 
distance green sand is to be seen, rich in fossils, scaphites, (fee, three 
times the size of ours. In Minnesota, about seventeen hundred 
miles from hence (south-west of Lake Superior), exists a tract one 
hundred miles in extent, called by the Indians, Mauvaise Tcrre — 
'The bad country,' — and well does it merit that appellation. It 
consists of clay mountains, placed side by side like huge ant-hills, 
wholly bare of vegetation — not from infertility, but because their 
component parts are so little coherent, that rain and torrents wash 
them clean of verdure, whenever it makes its appearance during a 
spell of dry weather. Fine specimens of animal remains — tortoises, 
turtles, etc., are found at the base of these clay hills. The curator 
of the Museum, Mr. Hubbard, has given me a very curiou* recent 
fish from Lake Champlain, deeply interesting as the only lingering 
denizen of those early periods of the world when fishes wore their 



128 THE SLAVE PROBLEM. 

bones externally instead of internally. This creature looks like an 
antediluvian, with his enamelled exterior and his bony tail. I think 
he must have been a hard morsel, even for the digestion of an ich- 
thyosaurus. He is called here the gar alligator. Mr. Hurst, one of 
the naturalists belonging to this Museum, has invented a beautiful 
manner of preserving fish, reptiles, <fec., so as to make spirits unne- 
cessary, and greatly to facilitate the examination of them. But so 
much arsenic is requisite for the process, that his hands are excori- 
ated, while his complexion is improved by its poisonous fumes. The 
Governor has kindly given me a trout, which is an admirable speci- 
men of this ingenious mode of preparation. 

Nov. 11. — For once, I enjoy a pouring wet day, as it gives me 
time to arrange a chaos of seeds, plants, shells, and stones, which I 
have collected during my rapid western tour, and to look over the 
fine Hortus Siccus, arranged by Dr. Torrey, in fifty volumes, for the 
Museum. As it is of course confined to the flora of New York, I 
have many specimens not included ; but it enables me to determine 
some which have embarrassed me. I saw an alligator alive, and 
some curious little turtles and tortoises ; the latter are common here- 
abouts, and I am promised a pet, in the shape of a small tortoise 
which has the faculty of shutting itself up like a box : it is a vege- 
tarian, quite gentle, hardy, and long lived. If my favourite puss 
does not take umbrage at him, he will be a clean, innocent, happy 
favoui'ite. The snapping tortoise is larger, and quite a savage beast. 
There was a live snake in a box, but I declined his acquaintance. I 
was surprised to see the wild turkey so much larger than the 
domesticated ; his plumage, too, is finer — almost resembling that of 
a peacock. 

I begin to feel quite excited by the ups and downs of the State 
election ; for though all the votes were taken in one day (the 7th), 
the various towns and districts send their numbers dribbling in, so 
that though Governor Seymour has never been without a general 
majority, yet the whole is extremely fluctuating; and as yet his fate 
remains undecided. I had a long talk with him about the Slavery 
question, and was much impressed by his calm and statesmanlike 



SLAVERY. 129 

views : he is as desirous as any man can be, to see slavery abol- 
ished ; but he sensibly says, that, like most other things in connex- 
ion with the general welfore, it is to be considered with reference to 
political economy ; and that in our enthusiastic headlong anxiety to 
do justice to the black race, we have surely (though quite uninten- 
tionally) delayed its freedom. This is, I believe, the opinion of Dr. 
How^ and other enlightened philanthropists. Twenty-six years ago 
New York was a Slave State. How has the curse been shaken off? 
Not by stringent laws and ill-judged prohibitions, but by the intro- 
duction of free labour, which rendered that of bondage expensive 
and inconvenient — though it does not improve the condition. The 
wisest people say, that Slavery was on the point of extinguishing^ 
itself in the South, when, by rendering the supply piratical, the 
value of the article was so raised in the market, that it became a 
profitable concern to grow slaves. As Governor Seymour graphi- 
cally explains the matter : — ' If the early settler wanted to buy beef, 
he must buy the whole ox — ^hide, horns, and tail ; then comes a 
time when he can procure a quarter ; and at last, as population 
increases, he can go to market and purchase a beef-steak, or any 
joint most pleasing to his taste. Now the same thing occurs in the 
case of labour, which, after all, is a marketable commodity. At first 
it may be necessary to take the whole man ; then you can hire part 
of a man ; and in due time you may be able to get so much of the 
time of a man as may just suit your purpose, without being bur- 
thened by his infancy or his old age.' Thus we, who have been seek- 
ing to check the institution of Slavery by violent means, have unin- 
tentionally been prolonging it ; but time will repair this mistake, by 
rendering the possession of slaves an expensive mode of cultivation 
— that is, if cotton can be cultivated without it. Slavery existed 
and does exist in Africa, and in a more suflering and degraded form 
than that of the West Indies, or of the American Southern States. 
The slaves benefited by their chang-e of servitude ; that was a first 
step towards ultimate freedom ; and if, when a sufiicient immber had 
been imported, their labour had been naturally rendered of less 
value by the introduction of others. Slavery would quickly have 
7 



180 THE AMERICAN CLERGY. 

abolished itself; but anti-slavery laws checked the natural course of 
Providence ; slave-labour increased, and the chain of the African was 
riveted by his intended emancipator. Another practical exemplifica- 
tion of an 'ill-judging friend being worse than an enemy.' 

We dined out to-day — a pleasant dinner ; the only peculiarity 
was the name of each intended occupant being placed on the table 
opposite every chair. Codfish appears to me more delicate here 
than upon our coasts ; but in general I do not think American fish 
equal those of the English shores. I have now tasted white fish, 
black fish, masquelongi, and salmon. The masquelongi is a fresh- 
water fish, plentiful in the Rice Lake. It appears to me a superior 
kind of pike. 

Sunday^ Nov. 1 2. — We went to the church still served by Dr. 
Potter, the new Bishop of New York, who does not give up his 
duty till after his consecration. He is a kind and agreeable, as well 
as a good man ; and I never heard our service with greater plea- 
sure : it was so admirably arranged and read here, that I could not 
help contrasting it with the church at Toronto, where the service 
was conducted in a heavy, tedious way. Election returns still incom- 
plete ; the majority supposed to be for the present Governor ; but 
no one can give certain information. 

Albany, November 13. — One circumstance is to be observed of 
the American Episcopalian clergymen, and, as far as I have been 
able to remark, the same thing may be said of the Presbyterian, — 
that they all read well, without the nasal tone or the peculiar pro- 
nunciation of the North-eastern States. It is a pity that civilians, 
especially diplomatic men, do not imitate their clergy in this matter. 
I think the latter, as a body, superior to ours. Among those whose 
churches I have attended, two ministers, educated and ordained upon 
our side the Atlantic, both good men, were pompous and tedious in 
the reading-desk and pulpit. And we must confess that not many 
in England either read or preach in an attractive manner. On Sat- 
urday, the Governor took me to see an excellent Penitentiary belong- 
ing to this district. The house has been lately built after the plan 
of the superintendent, Mr. Pillsbury, a man who possesses the quali- 



THE PENITENTIARY. 181 

ties of firmness, order, and benevolence in a high degree. The cells 
are arranged in a Avay differing from what I have hitherto seen. An 
oblong block of three or four storeys (the upper ones reached by ex- 
terior staircases and galleries, capable of accommodating 185 people) 
is placed within a large kind of hall admirably ventilated ; every cell 
has an iron bedstead, and those of the women a chair. The large 
door of iron grating which closes each, is so constructed as to admit 
sufficient light and air. All are shut by the same mechanical pro- 
cess, managed by an iron bar, which runs the whole length of the 
block, and even if any one is by accident left unlocked, the door 
cannot be opened. About three hundred prisoners, male and female, 
are now confined here — all for short terms: those under long con- 
victions are taken to other prisons. These people are sentenced for 
a period of about three months ; many of them for a shorter time. 
We found the men at work in two large workshops, one en- 
tirely devoted to making cane-bottomed chairs, the other harness. 
All were busily engaged ; not one lifted an eye or spoke a word. In 
the w^omen's ward, there was more variety of employment ; washing, 
ironing, mending, and cooking — but no speaking. One haggard 
looking crone of more than eighty years of age, here for the fourth 
time, looked the personification of incorrigibility. Some few men 
were at work in the grounds, which having to be newly laid out, 
afibrd much promise of occupation ; and it has sometimes happened 
that emancipated prisoners have entreated for employment there. 
Mr. Pillsbury's success appears to be owing to his unflinching will 
and determined discipline ; to the strict enforcement of cleanliness, 
and, above all, to the influence of love which this kind man brings 
to bear upon his prisoners, for his heart seems to be of the most ten- 
der mould. Yet I could wish that the tongues of these unfortunate 
ones might be a little loosed, just so much as is allowed by the 
Governor of the gaol at Munich without being followed by evil conse 
quences. There, the prisoners are permitted to speak on matters con- 
nected with their labour, but if that liberty is abused, they are made to 
work alone. Upon the entrance of a prisoner here, he is told he 
must be industrious, never look up from his work, and keep silence; 



132 INDIAN THANKSGIVING. 

and that if ho conforms to these rules, he will be well fed and kindly 
treated; he usually conforms immediately. The house has been 
erected, and all expenses of the establishment are defrayed, by the 
profits which accrue from the prisoners' labour. 

Near Utica there has long been a white rock held as a sacred 
stone by the Indians. This veneration was owing to its being a kind 
of sienite unique in the district. As its situation was near a spot 
lately formed into a cemetery, Mr. Seymour proposed that this stone 
should be removed there to save it from destruction, and to show 
sympathy for Indian feelings. An agreement with them was made 
for that purpose; they also being allowed the liberty of interment in 
the grounds ; and the stone may be seen now on a mound at the 
cemetery. 

After the election of the present Governor, a chief came to Albany, 
to prefer some request to him. Being an Oneidan, he spoke of his 
tribe. Mr. Seymour kindly replying, said — 'I also am an Oneidan, 
for my residence is at Utica.' The Indians designated the local 
Governors as their ' Father,' and the President as their ' Great Father.' 
But upon Mr. Seymour making this remark, the Chief quickly and 
gracefully changed the term of relationship. ' My Brother then is 
an Oneidan ; he will feel for the wants of his Brethren.' Although 
the Indians may speak and understand English, and when not con- 
ducting a diplomatic interview will converse in our language, yet in 
formal intercourse with the Governors or Governments, they will 
only carry it on through an interpreter, bearing in mind the view of 
preserving their dignity and nationality. I believe they are now 
very kindly and considerately treated by the United States. Their 
religion is a pure Theism ; and some of those we call the Pagan In- 
dians are, alas ! superior in Christian conduct to the converted ; for 
the latter practise the vices of cheating and drunkenness, while the 
former are simple, pure, and sober, until contaminated by the white 
man. They believe in a great creating, superintending Spirit, who 
rewards the good and punishes the evil in a future life; and they 
have public meetings for prayer and thanksgiving. One is called the 
'Feast of Strawberries,' when they assemble to offer up thanks to the 



ORIGIN OF PARTY NAMES. 133 

Great Giver of all good for the returning crop of tliat berry ; and 
there are other periods of general thanksgiving for a sufficiency of 
game and for the fruits of the earth. Thus they acknowledge the 
unity, omnipresence, and omniscience of the Deity; the freewill, 
responsibility, and immortality of man ; and these truths being known 
and assented to by the American Indians, Christianity is received and 
accepted by them without much difficulty, as a further dispensation 
and message from the Universal Father. 

From the Governor of New York I have inquired and learned 
the meaning of party terms which have before puzzled me — such 
as Adamantines, Hard-shells, Soft-shells, Loco-focos, Rick-burners, and 
Pollywogs. It seems these names are highly figurative — they have 
originated in casual expressions made use of by public speakers 
which have happened to hit the fancy of the hearers, so that they 
become cant terms. xV Democrat in this country is synonymous 
with a Whig or Liberal in England, while he who is denominated 
Whig here, is really a Tory or Conservative. The latter party ad- 
vocate prohibitions, and tariffs, and interference of the Central 
Government with local improvements; while the Democrats are 
free-traders, and promoters of self-government in each State. They 
say that railroads, and harbours, and bridges, and canals, can be 
formed and conducted at less expense and more advantageously on 
the spot, than when planned and directed by the Central Govern- 
ment from a distance of many hundred miles, where they are apt to 
degenerate into jobs. Upon some occasion, when the moderate 
Democrats were accused of yielding rather too much to the views of 
their opponents, a wag, during his address to a popular assembly, 
said : ' Now I think these politicians are blowing hot and cold ; they 
are too much like crabs when in a state of transition between the 
soft and the hard shell. I am for the whole hog — I am a Hard- 
shell.' And another said, * They are Pollywogs' (the Indian name 
for tadpoles). So with the Loco-focos, of which party the Barn- 
burners were an extreme. Now I understand the meaning of the 
following curious paragraph in one of the local papers some weeks 
ago : ' The organ of the Hard-shell Democrats says that orders have 



134 ALBANY. 

been sent from Washington, enjoining all persons holding office 
under the Central Government to keep away from the approaching 
Soft-shell Convention at Syracuse ; for this reason it is anticipated 
the Barn-burners will have control of the convention, and pass anti- 
Nebraska resolutions.' The peculiar circumstances which gave origin 
to the Loco-foco and Barn-burner, are these ; during an assemblage 
of Democrats, some who wished to dispei-se the meeting obtained 
command of the gas-pipes, with an intention of throwing darkness 
over the deliberations of the said ' convention ; ' but the Hard-shells, 
getting a hint of this plot, provided themselves with lucifer-matches 
and candles, and when the gas went out suddenly, they soon re- 
illuminated their proceedings. Hence they were called Loco-focos ; 
and an ultra Loco-foco was taunted with the sobriquet of Barn- 
burner. 

We dined yesterday at a very pretty and well-arranged house, 
belonging to Mr. and Mrs, Pompelly — an Italian name, which has 
been spoiled by the substitution of an English termination. The 
dinner was much like one in London, except that the hour was six 
instead of eight. I sat by an American Major-General, who has 
travelled much in Europe. From his countenance and manner, I 
should have supposed him Bavarian ; but this city contains a great 
mixture of the varying national characteristics of Eui-ope. In one 
quarter Germans are so numerous, that the signs and designations 
of the shops and eating-houses are in German. Many also of the 
respectable inhabitants there still speak Dutch ; French is less com- 
mon, but the American, Scotch, Irish, and English blood is mixed 
up in tolerably equal proportions, and in a short time all these 
heterogeneous elements will be happily amalgamated. 

To-day I went to visit the library — a handsome and convenient 
building, well supplied with valuable and useful books ; and after- 
wards the Governor introduced me to the studio of Palmer — a 
sculptor of evident taste and talent, who has hitheiio de|!fcnded upon 
the inspiration of his own mind, rather than upon the study of ancient 
art. Near a spot chiefly inhabited by Dutch settlers, I endeavoured 
to make a sketch of Albany, with the distant mountains, and an ex- 



A PATERXAL GOVERNOR. 135 

tensive view of the Hudson River ; but my fingers soon became so 
benumbed by cold, that I had not much success. The weather 
continues very Hke winter in England, but no decided snow here at 
present. 

November 16. — Yesterday was nearly all passed in visiting, to 
return the civility of those who have called, or given me invitations 
I entered a great many houses. The I'eception rooms are generally 
on the ground floor, handsomely fitted up, usually covered by English 
or French carpets, but extremely dark. They are commonly kept 
very warm by stoves, or rather furnaces, below. I only saw one 
open fireplace, in which the fuel was a kind of anthracite coal. The 
houses are good, almost always entered by a single flight of stone 
steps ; from three to four rooms on a floor, but these rooms have a 
bare, unhomelike appearance to an English eye, from the absence of 
books, and work, and writing materials ; they look as if in use only 
for company. We had an agreeable smalf dinner-party at home — 
the Bishop of New York; Mr. Hall, the palaeontologist, and his 
wife ; Mr. Johnson, a judge ; and one or two more. It is believed 
that the re-election of the present Grovernor is secure. I rejoice in 
this, as an indication that good common sense, after all, prevails over 
an ill-regulated enthusiasm. The other day, a young man received 
his pardon from Mr. Seymour, after a short imprisonment. In such 
a case he usually sees the offender upon his liberation ; and he gave 
this youth some friendly advice upon the danger of intemperate 
habits. The man looked surprised, and exclaimed: 'Why, sir, I 
had been told you were all for liquor, and you don't look like one 
who cares for it.' ' Remember,' was the reply, ' that no human law 
can make a man good. He must learn self-control, and be actuated 
by principle. If laws would have prevented you from getting into 
mischief, you would not have been sent to prison.' 

One day is annually set apart by the custom of each State for a 
general thanksgiving. Here is an example of the form and manner 
in which this is done. The Governor for the time being selects a 
day, and then issues his Proclamation, which is published in all the 
papers : — 



136 PROCLAMATION. 

PROCLAMATION. 

By Horatio Seymolt, Governor of the State of Xew York. 

An acknowledgment of our dependence upon God, and of our obligation 
to Him, is at all times the duty of a Cliristian People. But when the Al- 
mightj^ has again crowned the year with his goodness, and we are enjoy- 
ing the gathered fruits of His bounty, it is eminently fitting that we should 
o£fer the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. 

I therefore appoint Thursday, the SOth day of November, for this appro- 
priate service ; and invite the citizens of the State to assemble on that day 
in their respective places of worship, to present tlieir acknowledgments to 
the Parent of the Universe for his multiplied mercies. And with our 
thanksgiving let us mingle prayers for a continuance of the numberless 
blessings we, as a people, enjo}'-, remembering that His wisdom alone 
can rightly direct, His power support, and His goodness give strength and 
security. 

In witness whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name and af- 
[l. s.] fixed the private seal of the State, at the City of Albany, this lOth 
day of November, One Thousand Eight Hundred and Fifty-Four. 

HORATIO SEYMOUR. 
By the Governor. H. "W. De Puy, 

Private Secretar}'. 

In driving down one of the streets here, ray attention was at- 
tracted by the Manx Arms — the three legs — as a sign over a tailor's 
shop. I was sure the occupant must be a native of the Isle of Man, 
and on our return I requested to stop the carriage, that I might ask 
a question. Upon going into tlie house I found a man busily era- 
ployed upon a coat. * You are a Manxman, I am certain V ' To be 
sure I am.' was the answer ; ' but who are you ? ' The tailor and 
the tailor's wife and daughter were delighted to hear the name of 
Murray, and to find I had been at Jurby, about four miles from 
Bishop's Court, where the man was born : he has been nineteen 
years in America ; he says he has got on pretty well, but that he 
w^orks harder than he did at home, I was invited to tea, and 
though I could not accept the invitation, it gave me pleasure to see 
that my visit was fully appreciated. I have made a sketch of Bish- 
op's Court, for this ray friend, (Mr. Crow,) from memory ; and as he 



YOUTHFUL HEROISM. 137 

maintains it to be the most beautiful place in the world, I think the 
remembrance will be valued. 

Albany, November IT. — Mr. Seymour and his opponent are 
still running neck to neck, although we have several times supposed 
the aft'air settled ; this election has been more fluctuating and longer 
about than any I ever heard of, not entirely owing to the great ex- 
tent of territory concerned — for all the votes were taken at the 
different places in one day ; but they have been very long coming 
in here. At New York, and I think I may say in all the enlightened 
cities, Seymour has an overwhelming majority, but the distant coun- 
ties and towns vote for Myron Clark, and it is now believed they 
will elect him by a trifling majority. The numbers to-day are 
132,264 for Seymour — 131,111 for Clark; there are, however, 
a few more returns to come in, which may be in favour of the 
latter. 

November 18. — We spent yesterday evening quietly, drinking 

tea with Mrs. S 's sister, who lives nearly opposite : her interest 

and excitement at the present moment are naturally great, as a 
change of Governors will separate this family. Our weather to-day 
promises to be clear and fine ; we have had hardly anything but 
gloomy, wet, cold days since I arrived here ten days ago. Perhaps 
we shall go to New York this afternoon. I have heard of the ar- 
rival of my Virginian friend. Miss G , from England, and I hope 

to meet her there. A mere child, named Eli Rheem, has performed 
an act of heroism worthy of more years and of noblest times. I 
have cut the details out of a trustworthy print — for this deed de- 
serves to be celebrated as evincing a courage which throws that of 
warriors into the shade. 

A NOBLE BOY. 

RESCUE OF A PASSENGER TRAIN FROM CERTAIN DESTRUCTION. 

We mentioned a few days since the burning of the Tunnel Bridge, on 
the Baltimore and Susquehanna Railroad, about five miles soutli of York, 
and since learn that the conflagration came very near being followed by 
7* 



138 A NOBLE BOY. 

one of the most terrible disasters tliat has lately occurred in railroad travel. 
It is supposed that the bridge took fire from the freight trains which passed 
about half-past seven o'clock in the morning, and the structure was totally 
enveloped in flames before it was discovered by the residents in the vi- 
cinity. At about nine o'clock the frame-work of the bridge fell through, 
and among the spectators, some twenty in number, was a little boy about 
twelve years of age, named Eli Rheem, who, remembering that the express 
train was then about due from York, started off at the top of his speed to 
endeavour to stop the train, which he knew must be close at hand. As 
soon as he reached the curve, about two hundred yards from the bridge, 
he observed the train coming at full speed, and fearing that he would be 
unable to stop them unless by the use of extraordinary means, the noble 
little fellow took his position on the track, and running towards the ap- 
proaching train with his hands raised, caught the attention of the engineer, 
who immediately reversed his engine, and stopped within four hundred 
yards of impending destruction, the piers being some twenty feet from the 
rocky bed below, and the gap some sixty feet wide. Had the boy not 
placed himself on the track, he would doubtless have failed in his noble 
effort, as the engineers are so often cheated by mischievous boys on the 
route that they seldom pay any attention to them. Even when he stopped, 
lie thought he had been cheated by a youngster with more daring than 
his associates, and was surprised to see the little flaxen-headed fellow stand 
his ground, and endeavouring to recover his lost breath, to answer his 
questions as to the cause of his interruption. We learn that the passengers, 
when they ascertained t!ie cause of the stoppage of the train, and viewed 
the precipice over which they were near being dashed, liberally rewarded 
the boy for his presence of mind and daring, and that the Board of Direc- 
tors, at their meeting yesterday, appropriated 100 dollai's as an additional 
recompense. Eli Rheem, a boy but twelve years of age, was the only one 
of twenty persons present, most of them men, who had forethought sufficient 
for the occasion. — Bait. American. 

The name of Rheem leads one to suppose that this gallant little 
fellow must be of Dutch origin ; I shall be glad if England can 
claim the originating of his parentage. Alas ! for the horrors of 
war contrasting with the peaceful triumph of this child ! Our brave 
soldiers sacrificed, to sacrifice those who under different circum- 
stances they would die to save ! I dread looking at the English 
news. Every mail now brings sorrowful intelligence of the fall of 
some ^oung man who, if not a relative of my own_, is the darhng of 



COMMUNITY OF SHAKERS. 139 

some house and home for which I feel an interest. What does not 
that Russian deserve ? I trust he will some day be shut up as a 
madman, unfit to be trusted with a knife ; and then perhaps his 
wretched serfs may learn that Christianity does not teach them war. 
To-day the Governor and Mrs. Seymour took me to see a community 
of Shakei-s, who live about ten miles from this place ; they appear 
to be a harmless industrious set of people, a kind of Quaker Order 
of Monks and Nuns, who feed well, set a good example as to 
morality and neatness, and eschew as a crime everything approach- 
ing to beauty and elegance. We had some excellent bread and 
cheese, saw them make their useful brooms, and bought some of 
their delicate baskets, in the manufacture of which the hue of beauty 
has unconsciously introduced itself. Kind Brother Frederick, the 
ruler of the establishment, showed us all over it. A Shaker village 
has one great advantage over all monastic communities — no vows 
are imposed, and the freedom of egress is perfectly unshackled. We 
drove throuofh a hio-h sandy district, with scattered woods of birch 
and yellow pine, the ground diversified by low hills, with extensive 
views of distant mountains and the Hudson River. In passing 
through Albany, I was shown some old Dutch houses, constructed 
of bricks which were actually brought here from Holland ! Now, 
the great majority of buildings are of brick made on the spot. In 
this neighbourhood the usual snake fences, made with as large a 
quantity of timber as can be put into them, about six feet high, are 
beginning to be rare : the divisions consist of fences straight and 
regular ; once it was considered a beauty to have as many fences as 
possible, now a contrary opinion prevails hereabouts. In new clear- 
ings, glaring white houses, with green or red blinds are still con- 
sidered the best taste — naturally enough ; for in the dark forest they 
were more visible, and spoke of comfort and civilization : now some 
taste for architecture is springing up in cities and their environs. 
Mr. Seymour drove me in a light open carriage, universal in 
America : it has wheels exceedingly high in proportion to the size 
of the body. These ' wagons ' are certainly airy and slight, and 
conse(juently plunge into the hollows and holes- of the tracks with- 



140 THE LETIEK OF THE LAW. 

out risk. We bad a bright sun, and as the wind was quiet I did 
not mind cold ; but it was very cold. 

JVovember 19 — Sundmj. — I believe that niy journey to New 
York is likely to be delayed yet for days. Some gentlemen who 
came in last night, say that the voting is so close, that although 
State officers are now busy in investigation, it will require another 
week before the result can be declared ; and even then the present 
Governor, if he should lose, would really have a majority; because 
a large number of votes have been given with the initial H., instead 
of Horatio, which invalidates them. The Shakers, too, wish for 
him ; but the silly people consider it against their principles to make 
use of their votes. I wonder whether you in England will feel any 
interest in this election for my American friend ; or whether you 
will be vexed that so many pages of my paper are devoted to New 
York politics. This packet will probably be sent off before the 
knotty point is made straight, so either way you will not get the 
conclusion until another mail. Though interested, my mind is not 
at all decided as to whether I really wish the present Governor to 
be in for another year or not. I should not like him to be beat. 
Yet I think the good effects of his rule will tell upon his successor, 
who, I understand, is much his inferior in education and talent ; and 
rest will be good for my friend, while he and Mrs. Seymour will be 
more at liberty to make our proposed forest excursions next year. 
I shall remain until the matter is settled ; for as they kindly wish 
to be ray guides in New York, should we go there whilst the de- 
cision is pending, Mr. Seymour's visit there will be ascribed to poli- 
tical motives, which would be unpleasant to him. 

After the service this morning, the Bishop-elect of New York 
baptized two children, one about four, the other rather more than a 
year old ; the ceremony took place at the Communion-rail under 
the pulpit — the water being blessed on the reading-desk. The 
father and mother with their eldest child, alone stood and knelt at 
the rail ; the other attendants remained in pews. I like the custom 
of allowing parents to be sponsors for their own children. The 
|ervice was much the same as ours. But as after being baptized, 



PROBABILITIES. 141 

the youngest child was inclined to be loquacious, he was at once 
taken out of the church by the person who carried him in her 
arms. I observed no particular smartness of dress on this occasion 
either for the children or their attendants. 

The Governor has just proposed that Mrs. Seymour and I shall 
go together to New York to-morrow ; and if business permits, he 
will follow in the course of a day or two. So we shall start by the 
eleven o'clock train, and go to the St. Nicholas Hotel. I shall 
probably not extend my stay at New York much beyond a week ; 
and letters in future must be addressed to the care of Mr. Crampton, 
our minister at Washington. He is the most likely person to know 
my whereabouts ; and he will I daresay forward communications 
from home during the winter, or as long as I remain in the Southern 
States. 

Your affectionate 

A. M. M. 



LETTER XIII. 



NEW Y O K K . 



New Yokk, November 25, 1S54. 



My dear Friends, — 

After travelling 2685 miles, here we are at New York. 
Since our arrival, on the 19th, I have not had time to write more 
than a few lines, which went by yesterday's mail to ray nieces. I 
had a pleasant journey by rail down the beautiful Hudson ; for the 
greater part of the way the line actually runs through the water ; as 
between the range of the Catskills on one side, and the rocky shore 
on the other, it was much easier to form a road on piles, where the 
water is not very deep, than to tunnel and batter a course for the 
trains through the rocks: at one spot where we did go through 
them, a red flag brought us up for a few minutes, owing to some of 
the boundary having fallen in the night. Mrs. Seymour, her niece, 
and some gentlemen, accompanied me from Albany : the Governor 
has now arrived also, but it was not in his power to come down on 
Monday. This Hotel of St. Nicholas is quite a palace ; its only 
fault being that the gorgeous silk furniture, mirrors, and carpets are 
rather in the extreme of magnificence ; however, the rooms are com- 
fortable. I have a hot and cold bath attached to my bedroom ; and 
as I happened to be rather ill yesterday (for the first time since I 
crossed the Atlantic), I found the warm bath an excellent remedy, 



THE BROADWAY. 143 

and one which, if it had not been so conveniently placed, I should 
probably have gone without. Tuesday last was spent in shopping 
and visits. On Wednesday the consecration of my friend Dr. Potter, 
the new Bishop of New York, took place ; I saw much of him at 
Albany, still as yet his residence. The ceremony was one of much 
more importance than that upon like occasions in England. Twelve 
bishops and one hundred and sixty clergy attended, besides two 
hundred students of divinity. It was performed in a pretty new 
church called Trinity, Early Perpendicular in style; all the windows 
edged and surmounted with painted glass, which, though not of the 
most perfect design and colouring, is still far better than common. 
The music was good, and I observed no great diiference from our 
consecration service, excepting that the new bishop is robed in front 
of the Communion-table, a custom which has always prevailed in 
America, but which, I think, detracted from the solemnity of the 
occasion. In the evening I was invited to meet all the bishops and 
a large number of the clergy. It was a pleasant party ; and I 
recognized the Bishop of Vermont, who received me with kindness 
on Lake Champlain. The consecration deed of Dr. Potter, designed 
and beautifully illuminated by a young lady, w^as on a table of 
mediaeval appearance. I was introduced to Bishop Fulford, who 
was absent during my visit to Montreal. He preached in the morn- 
ing. Thursday, Mr. D , one of my American friends on board 

the Canada^ took me to see many places in the city, and from the 
steeple summit of Trinity Church I gained a good idea of New 
York, with its rivers, islands, and environs ; the ground it is built 
upon is almost insular — perhaps three or four miles in width, 
and fourteen in length, Broadway nearly dividing it in half. This 
street is something between our Strand and Oxford-street, rather 
wider than the former, quite as full of traffic as either ; but then we 
must bear in mind that this is the only great artery of New York. 
We drove in an omnibus through Broadway to what is considered 
the aristocratic quarter — for it must be remarked that people here 
are not at all less exclusive than in London — only the differences of 
rank and wealth are evinced by more minute and elaborate atten 



144 GREENWOOD CEMETERY. 

tion to dress, and to trifling conventionalities, than with us. I havs 
been surprised to hear some men of business, but of wealth, assert 
that cultivation of the fine arts is a proof of national effeminacy ! 
American ladies bestow those hours of leisure, which English women 
of the same class give to drawing, to the study of nature, and to 
mental cultivation, almost wholly on personal adornment. Although 
it must be admitted that owing to the bad training of their servants, 
ladies on this side the Atlantic are compelled to look closely into 
the details of domestic economy, yet it is odd that they are gener- 
ally far less competent to the performance of every-day and sick- 
room duties than the daughters of our noblest houses in Great 
Britain ; and so long as girls here devote a whole hour for every ten 
minutes allowed by us to the toilet, they have no right to make 
domestic affairs an excuse for want of general information. Of 
course there are brilliant exceptions ; but I fear the national charac- 
ter of women in the United States more resembles that of self-in- 
dulgent Asiatics than of energetic Anglo-Saxons. And, as far as I 
can judge, their children are not being reared in better habits. 
Human nature is prone to extremes ; and these facts explain why 
some individuals desirous of improvement have fallen into a mis- 
taken imitation of manly character instead of cultivating feminine 
duties. Yesterday we dined with Mr. and Mrs. Bancroft, at their 
house in 22nd-street. Not having the organ of ' Number,' I am 
rather plagued by having numeral streets, in addition to the custom- 
ary numbering of doors ; and 8th street west and 28th street east 
(No. 8, perhaps), make a terrible hubbub in my memory. — The 
23rd of November was a very w^et day, and I did not go out. — 
Saturday, November 2oth, Mrs. Seymour took me to see Greenwood 
Cemetery, which is extensive, and beautifully situated on the heights 
of Brooklyn. But the general appearance of this place is injured 
by a custom of using upright white stone posts as boundaries for 
the several family burying-grounds. I have remarked this at all the 
cemeteries, excepting those of Boston and Toronto. Auburn Ceme- 
tery, belonging to the former city, is much the most agreeable and 
soothing place of interment, from its quiet and unassuming, as well 



THE fireman's monument. 146 

as picturesque scenery. Glare and grief are antagonistic, and intru- 
sive objects should not meet an eye still dim with tears ; each spot 
of ground consecrated to family affection should bs securely, but 
almost invisibly guarded from intrusion. Among the monuments in 
New York Cemetery, that which marks the burying-place of fire- 
men is specially interesting. It is crowned by the statue of a noble 
spirit, who perished in his endeavour to rescue a child. In one 
hand he holds a speaking-trumpet ; his other arm clasps the infant, 
as with a firm, but apparently hurried step, and upturned head, he 
endeavoui-s to reach security and meets death. I accompanied a 
party to see the Governor review the militia regiments of New York. 
These, like the yeomanry of England, are volunteers ; men (even in 
the ranks) of property and consideration. English, French, Dutch, 
Americans, Irish, Scotch, banded together as far as possible accord- 
ing to their several national feelings and peculiarities, but each 
individual merging his national loyalty in one common enthusiasm 
for the protection of the country he has permanently adopted ; — 
■ meet upon a day which is here known by the name of ' Evacuation 
Day,' to make a grand demonstration of this unity of sentiment ; 
and, although their troops were not so compact and well-drilled as 
regulars, yet as a body of five or six thousand men, not called out 
for more than three days in a year, they are much to be admired ; 
and one regiment, all dressed in bluish grey, manoeuvred with great 
precision. 

I did not feel my own national amour j^ropre the least wounded 
upon this occasion. "\Ve may now rejoice over the ' evacuation' 
with as hearty good will as the Americans themselves, and at the 
same time feel a rational degree of pride that old England sent forth, 
and originally nurtured, such promising citizens for the New World. 
Although the Governor of New York is Commander-in-chief, and a 
stafi* of officers in full regimentals surround him, he wears no uniform, 
but always appears the civil officer of the State. Mr. Seymour re- 
viewed these troops in front of the City Hall, with as much tran- 
quillity of manner and simple dignity as might have been evinced 
by any one of the most experienced of our public men. It is im- 



146 REV. H. W. BKEOHEE. 

possible to find more entire freedom from self-consciousness in any 
man, while the claims of duty and of kindness are never put out of 
sight or omitted by him. 

On Sunday I went to a chapel in Brooklyn, to hear the brother 
of Mrs. Beecher Stowe preach to a very crowded congregation. His 
sermon was one of great eloquence and originality ; in style and 
manner too famihar to suit English ideas: but it was eminently- 
practical, and so much of truth and wisdom was to be culled oul>. 
a somewhat rugged and informal chain of argument, that no eye 
slumbered and no person's attention flagged during a very long 
discourse. 

November 27. — This morning I breakfasted with Mr. and Mrs. 

B , to meet several agreeable people, among them the preacher, 

Mr. H. W. Beecher. I liked his earnest, powerful mind ; although 
upon the topics of slavery and prohibitory laws, I doubted his argu- 
ments. In the afternoon, the Governor, Mrs. Seymour, and I visited 
print-shops and galleries. He wished much to see Sir Edwin Land- 
seer's picture of ' The Twins,' but it had been just packed up and 
sent off to Boston. 

November 28. — We all breakfasted with Miss Lynch the poetess ; 
we had there another pleasant party, and again Mr. Beecher, whose 
discussions with the Governor upon social subjects were very inter- 
esting. I forgot to mention the opera last night — Grisi and Mario : 
the latter sang to perfection ; Grisi less rich and powerful in tone 

than I remember her formerly, but still wonderful. Mr. D 

took me to visit a gentlemanly and intelligent young man, by trade 
a coachmaker, who seems to have travelled and observed nature 
more than is common in this land of business ; and in his possession 
I saw one of those curious eyeless fish from the Mammoth Cave of 
Kentucky. It is preserved in spirits, about the size and somewhat 
of the form of a fresh-water perch, about five inches long. I thought 
there was a faint mark on the spots where eyes usually are, but 
nothing more: and a small kind of crayfish from the same locality 
was also deficient in visual organs. I shall probably go to that 
Cave, when I may procure specimens ; and I shall try to get one 



rillLAKTIIROPIC INSTITUTIONS. ' 14 Y 

preserved without spirits. The rest of my day was taken up by 
necessary social visits ; but I saw various parts of the town. 

Wednesday^ N'ovemher 29. — I went with the Governor to view 
all the Phihmthropic and Penal establishments, which, much to the 
credit, the generosity, and the good feeling of New York State, have 
been founded and organized upon the two Islands of Piandall and 
Blackwell. The East River pours down in rapid torrents on either 
side of these islands, so as to add security, as well as to contribute 
to the salubrity of these establishments. A four-oared boat took us 
off about seven miles from the city. We first landed upon Randall 
Island, where there is a very large Refuge just opened for delin- 
quents ; and there the great pauper establishments for children, and 
also an Emigrant's Home, are situated. Eight hundred happy- 
looking orderly boys marched about to the time of their own drums 
and fifes, forming a young regiment. They manoeuvred with more 
precision, and dressed their lines more evenly, than the troops we 
saw reviewed on Friday. Their commander and drill sergeant was 
an idiot man about forty. He has the love and the strict obedience of 
his children, although upon every subject excepting military discipline 
his mind is a blank. It was pleasing to see the innocent enjoyment 
of this poor general and his young soldiers. One point of sympathy 
links them together ; may they remain warriors of love rather than 
of contention — the teachers and the learners of Christian obedience 
and of religious duty. The girls (about six hundred) appeared to be 
equally well trained and cheerful in their several occupations. In no 
institution have I ever seen cleanliness and order more complete and 
perfect than in these. The quarter for emigrants also gave rise to 
feelings of satisfaction. It is open to all destitute strangers during 
any period not exceeding five years from their first arrival on these 
shores. Six hundred infants, upon an average,^ are yearly born 
within its precincts. We saw mothers and inftrnts well nursed and 
cared for — occupation for the industrious, training for the idle ; and 
all appeared quiet and contented in their temporary home. I heard 
of very little sickness — only five or six cases of cholera ; but there 
are hospitals for children with chronic diseases — one ward full of 



148 SOCIAL ENGAGEMENTS. 

whooping-cough patients, and another where a few were sick with 
feverish comphiints, all thoroughly ventilated, and apparently all 
made as comfortable as circumstances would admit. On Blackwell 
Island we saw a large and excellent Asylum for the Insane, a Pau- 
per House of Industry, and a Penal establishment — good in their 
several ways. On the two islands there is a population of ten 
thousand — children, women, and men — destitute, sick, or sinful. 
Nowhere can one find a spirit of more generous and enlightened 
charity than that evinced by these and the other philanthropic in- 
stitutions of New York. A great variety of shipping and numerous 
steamers are constantly passing down the river on each side. The 
sight of these, manoeuvring through its shoals and rapids, must be a 
constant source of amusement and interest to the island denizens. I 
saw a steamboat which whirled down with a marvellous rapidity, 
and numerous sailing-vessels were tacking backwards and forwards, 
preparing to pass through that ' Hell-gate ' on the river where an 
English frigate was once wrecked. This appellation was derived 
from Dutch settlers. We again entered a boat, and crossed the 
rapid stream to a point where carriages soon conveyed our party 
back to the St. Nicholas Hotel in time to fulfil a dinner engagement. 
I had the pleasure of sitting by the poet Bryant, with his picturesque 
grey head and beard. 

Thursday, November 30. — Thanksgiving-day ; an annual festi- 
val, religious and social, commanded and celebrated by each State. 
But it was sad to me ; for that morning brought accounts from the 

armies at Sebastopol, and tidings of the death of General S , and 

others known to me, or dear to those I know. Still I cannot wish 
the place to be taken until our troops are strengthened by reinforce- 
ments. 

Friday^ December 1. — Dr. Torrey came after breakfast; he look- 
ed over my gathering of plants, and was much interested by the 
specimens of those got at Point Levi. The fern I found in wet mea- 
dows at Lake St. Charles, is Botrychium simplex. I find the Gara- 
dias are most of them parasitical upon other living plants, which 
makes the idea of introducing them into our English gardens nearly 



DOCTRINE OF COMPENSATIONS. 149 

hopeless. Mr. D ■ was so obliging as to guide me to some neces- 
sary calls. I made one attempt to find my own way through these 
puzzling streets, and it proved very unsuccessful. Saturday, at Pro- 
fessor Ren wick's, 21, 5th Avenue — I came here to an early dinner, 
after parting with the Governor and Mrs. Seymour for a few days ; they 
promise to meet me on Thursday, at the hotel. West Point. Monday : 

Mr. B has made an engagement for me to go to see Mr. and Mrs. 

G. S , on the Hudson, where I shall meet Washington Irving, who 

lives near. Before leaving the St. Nicholas, I was annoyed by dis- 
covering that my four best coloured drawings of Niagara Falls had 
been abstracted from a portfolio, and other indifferent ones left. This 
looks as if the thief had an artistic judgment, which is not very com- 
mon here. I have offered a reward, and done all possible for their 
restoration ; the loss is irreparable to me : and it is a poor consola- 
tion that any one should have considered them valuable enough to be 
an object of theft ! The Canada Falls, and the American Falls from 
Goat Island, the latter at sunrise and the former at sunset, were the 
subjects which seem to have attracted the notice and the cupidity of 
some one who took them away from the Governor's private room. 
This is the third robbery I have suffered since I came to America. 
Paint-brushes and pencils all stolen out of my bag at Montreal ; 
cloaks and shawls carried off during the railway accident between 
Niagara and Canandaigua ; and now my drawings ! So many in- 
difierent subjects cross the Atlantic, in hopes of finding prey here, 
that pickpocketing and petty thefts are common ; indeed it is almost 
impossible to guard against them ; and according to the doctrine of 
compensations, I must be content to put up with such trivial miseries, 
in the hope they may frank my life and limbs through the perils of 
extensive journeying by land and sea. Sunday, I went to Grace 
Church, a Gothic elevation designed by a son of Professor Renwick; 
the effect is much injured by all the windows being of painted glass, 
of vivid colours, ill arranged ; there were some good bits, and era- 
sure with a sponge would relieve these loaded panes and improve 
the general effect, even without any change in the coloured glass. 
As it is, the church is made too obscure, and good taste oflfended by 



150 DEAF AND DUMB INSTITUTE. 

red, blue, and yellow, interspersed Avitliout the smallest reference to 
harmony — that great requirement without which design is nothing 
in stained windows. I walked back to 5th Avenue in such heavy 
rain that no umbrella could avail to keep me dry, even for a short 
distance ; and though my ' locality ' bump carried me back in the 
right direction, yet on arriving at the place, I rang at a wrong door ; 
for as there is a street at right angles to the house, I had never 
studied its exterior appearance, and therefore was at a loss to distin- 
guish it from three other corners ; till I walked up stairs and dis- 
turbed a strange gentleman, I did not find out my error. Mr. 

F , the protector of emigrants, whom I met last at Spencer Wood, 

accompanied me yesterday to see the New York Institution for the 
Deaf and Dumb. I had only a short time for my visit, but it was 
suflScient to satisfy my mind of their excellent training ; one of the 
masters is himself a deaf mute who was brought up in the school, 
and the wife of another was also a pupil ; she is pretty and intelli- 
gent, but still remains only able to express herself by signs and 
writing. 

I was introduced to the first class as an English lady who had 
crossed the Atlantic to see their country and its institutions ; each 
young person wrote upon his or her slate a little address, varied in 
expression according to individual character and feeling. Gratifica- 
tion at my visit and respect for Britain were predominant ; one or 
two made use of the expression ' proud ' England, but erased it im- 
mediately upon my suggesting that ' old ' England would be more 
appropriate. The superintendent, Mr. Peat, made a request that I 
would propose a subject upon which they could offer the conclusions 
of their own minds. I inquired ' Whether the motive of love, or 
that of emulation, was that by which the course of education could 
best be guided.' All but one preferred love ; some because it was 
the great Christian rule ; others because it was the most effective ; 
and one, who at first was in favour of emulation, rubbed out the 
sentence with an air of repentance, when she read what she thought 
the better choice made by her associates. I found that neither Mr. 
F nor Mr. C were of my opinion respecting the best modes 



THE MAINE LAW. ISl 

of eradicating slavery and drunkenness. I thought their reasons for 
passing the Maine law told against themselves ; for instance — ' that a 
large number of the population were in favour of it.' Is not this very 
fact a proof that if you leave improvement to take its own course, the 
misuse of stimulants will cure itself; and a proof, also, that intemper- 
ance is gradually lessening ? For, some years ago, the people would not 
have ftivoured a sumptuary law working against their own liberty, 
for the purpose of encouraging sobriety. It is said the Maine law is 
acting advantageously in that State. Not a good argument, I 
think ; because temporary success does not justify mistaken princi- 
ples ; besides which, I have reason to believe that the improve- 
ment is more on the surface than radical ; that much more drinking 
is now done on the sly ; and thus ilHnformed though well-intentioned 
people have been oflfering a bonus to hypocrisy, while they thought 
they were discouraging intemperance. I find there are now laws 
enough in the State of New York to keep down liquor-«hops, if they 
were executed : but no ; it is too difiicult to put in force laws against 
individual faihngs. Therefore such laws become a dead letter ; and 
now they want to heap more prohibitions on the statute-book, to 
make up for not enforcing the first. They may as well fight the 
wind. Human nature was put into this world to learn self control, 
and to gain experience ; a man will never be the more virtuous for 
prohibitions, or the more strong-minded for being kept wholly away 
from temptation ; he must learn to refuse the evil and choose the 
good, and, if he will not learn this by the inculcation of good princi- 
ples, he will never become more strong in virtue by being kept out 
of the reach of evil. This is the principle of the public schools in 
England. The head masters of Eton, and perhaps of the other schools, 
have falsified it with regard to smoking ; and wlmt is the conse- 
quence ? The boys consider it manly to brave punishment ; and 
there are few among them to whom cigars are not growing to be a 
necessary indulgence ; besides which, they half smother themselves 
by putting their heads under water to disguise the smell ; whereas, 
if the habit had been treated as ungentlemanly and suited only to 
the ale-house, without any positive prohibition, it would probably, like 
other fashions, have become obsolete. 



152 WASHINGTON IRVING. 

December 4. — I went with Mr. and Mrs. B and Mr. O 

to a pretty cottage on the Hudson River, to visit Mr. and Mrs. G. 

S : the country all white ; so much snow that, for the first 

time, I was driven in a sleigh from the railway-station. I found a 
pleasant family, wdiose mode of life and arrangements were very 
much those of a small household in England. We paid a morning 
visit to Washington Irving : he is a much younger-looking man 
than I expected to see ; nothing of the petted or the spoilt favourite 
in his simple retiring manner : he was all, and more, than I ex- 
pected ; and I felt unalloyed pleasure in such an introduction. 
Bitter winds and snow continuing, I must give up any idea of West 
Point for the present, and be content with two or three days pleas- 
antly and quietly spent. To-morrow I shall go to Tarry Town ; 
and if the Governor and Mrs. Seymour do not meet me there, I 
shall fulfil my engagement to them by returning to Albany. 

December 8. — I came on to Albany last night in cold snowy 
weather, and rejoined my friends, as they were unable to come to 
me. The journey was not pleasant, though the banks of the Hud- 
son were still fine, even in their wintry dress. The steamer which 
brought us over the river from the railway station went crashing 
through the ice ; and I was not sorry to find myself in State-street. 

Friday^ 8th. — Mrs. Seymour took me out in a sleigh to pay 
some visits ; the coldest day I have ever felt. 

Saturday^ December 9. — We walked to the Senate-house and 
some other places. The streets very slippery ; sleighs with their 
bells in all directions. Dined out. Better news from the East : 
reinforcements have reached our army. As it has already fought 
and conquered five to one, I cannot share the apprehensions of those 
who fear the allied troops will be beaten out of the Crimea. The 
power of Russia was underrated, and for that we are punished. 

December 10. — There has been a thaw, and snow is decreasing. 
The sleighs seem to go heavily ; those with one horse are called 
cutters. It is only the machines drawn by two which are dignified 
by the name of sleighs. The Governor is busy winding up business, 
so as to place the afl:airs of the State in the hands of his successor. 



( 



GOVERNOR SEYMOUR. 153 

Myron Clark, by the 1st of January. I have not seen this gentle- 
man ; it does not seetn that his talents are appreciated highly 
by individuals who have been voting for him because he belongs to 
their particular party, while Mr. Seymour appears to be liked by 
those Avho voted against him. I extract the following from a paper 
politically opposed : — 

' Governor Seymour, in his late admirable address at the opening 
of the New House of Refuge, near New York, stated that ' during 
this last year he had been compelled to act upon two thousand cases 
for pardon. This duty is not only most arduous, but most perplexing 
and unpleasant. To exercise the pardoning power discreetly requires 
much labour and anxious thought; the entreaties of friends, of wives, 
parents, children, is often overwhelmingly painful ; and he would be 
more than human who did not sometimes err in the exercise of this 
important prerogative. Our Governors have, however, seldom sub- 
jected themselves to just censure in the exercise of their power, and 
Governor Seymour as seldom as any of his predecessors. His deci- 
sions have almost uniformly been wise and humane: and if he has 
sometimes crushed the hopes of the unhappy relatives of the impris- 
oned, it has never been because he did not sympathize with them in 
their deep misfortune, but because he believed justice forbade the 
exercise of the clemency sought.' 

AVhen one considers the vast distances in this Union, and the 
size of its component parts, it is easy to understand how little a gov- 
ernment of centralization can ever suit the wants of so large and 
heterogeneous an Empire. The State of New York alone is as large 
as all England, and it is evident that local governments, such as 
California or Virginia, must have a much better idea of the genius and 
the requirements of their several countries than can be gained by the 
President and the Congress in session at Washington ; so, for all local 
purposes, each State ought to govern itself, and that must have been 
the intention of the founders of the Union. 

It is true that as yet police and postal arrangements are in their 
infancy, and to an English observer they appear but clumsily orga- 
nized ; but time will improve and consolidate these matters, and I 



154 SECTARIAN ASSUMPTION. 

sbouid hope that a future generation will also consider the exercise 
of political rights as due rather to property, and the virtues of prin- 
ciple, independence, and freedom from selfish motives, than to the 
mere fact of an ignorant, profligate individual having lived, and per- 
haps misused, twenty-one years of life; so instead of the 'Know- 
nothing ' proposition to take away the elective franchise from newly 
imported citizens (which w^ould be invidious enough among a peo- 
ple who owe their success and prosperity to a mixture of races added 
to the Anglo-Saxon element), it appears common sense that the elec- 
tors of Governors should be those wdio have some reasonable ideas 
of government, and some stake in the common prosperity. We this 
dav heard a sermon embodying higher church assumption than even 
English Tractarianism ; it strongly maintained infallibility for the 
Protestant Episcopal Church in scriptural matters. The kind and 
good Bishop of New York was present ; but his advocacy of Church 
claims is not that of spiritual despotism ; like Fenelon, Bishop Hora- 
tio Potter would lead home the peasant's cow ; his Christian benevo- 
lence can never be moved or guided by a thought which could mar 
its charity. — The rain falls fast, and I hope to get south before snow 
and ice again encumber the roads and streets. 

Monday, December 11. — Snow again, but the thaw proceeding. 
I sent my letter, containing the hair of the poor old w^oman whose 
son has become a Mormon, by a channel through which it may pro- 
bably reach the Salt Lake. I think the possible future of that ex- 
traordinary community an interesting speculation. Strange that 
the off-scourings of European civilization should establish polygamy 
— a practice branded as felonious by every other State in the Union, 
a barbarism which even Turkey is gradually casting off! Does not 
this show the tendency of ignorance to return again to the habits of 
savage life, and also to go back to the government of a theocracy 
because they feel themselves incapable of self-government? Yet 
even the present condition and past history of this singular commu- 
nity is not without some elements of grandeur, and even of promise. 
Expelled by persecution and violence from the parent State, the 
Mormons earnestly and sagaciously employed themselves to build 



HOPES FOR THE FUTURE. 155 

up a state for themselves. ' Driven from civilized life, they sought 
rest and a home in the wilderness and the desert.' Blinded as they 
are by superstition and fonaticism, they are still pioneers of civiliza- 
tion, and it is impossible not to admire the vigour and energy with 
which they accomplished their hegira. Sitting proudly at the foot 
of the Wahsach mountains, the City of the Salt Lake begins to ful- 
fil the magnificent projects of its founders, and rolls it along an arid 
desert like the roses of Jericho (Anastatica), to find fresh soil and 
new homes in the desert. Their settlement only dates from '47 : yet 
wide and w^ell watered streets and gardens, churches, school-houses, 
mills, and public buildings, now ornament a city laid out upon a 
plan capable of including half a million of inhabitants. Though the 
people and their institutions have departed widely and vilely from 
the laws of morality and Christianity, as the darkness of ignorance 
becomes enlightened, we must hope the influence of designing vil- 
lains will be shaken off, and that of the better minded gain a rea- 
sonable influence over the deluded, but not evil-intentioned majority ; 
so that, before very long, the slough which at present contaminates 
and defaces the body politic of the Mormonite community may be 
cast off. 

Your affectionate 

A. M. M. 



LETTER XIV. 



New York, Bee. 13, 1S54. 

My Dear Friends, — 

An American gentleman with whom I have become well ac- 
quainted, took charge of me yesterday from Albany. I left Mr. and 
Mrs. Seymour with regret, but they promise to come to Washington 
before I proceed fjirther south. On Saturday I again visited the 
great palaeontologist, Mr. Hall. He gave me an interesting and in- 
structive geological chart of his own arrangement, which, while it 
exemplifies only the geology of New York and the adjoining States, 
is, in fact, an epitome of that of the world; as from the primitive 
rocks, the strata follow in regular succession up to the cretaceous, 
tertiary, and alluvial, wanting only those beds of oolite and chalk 
which, though well known in England, are not to be seen here. In 
Mr. Hall's map, the j^rincipal fossils to be found in each formation 
are represented above it — a plan which considerably assists the tyro. 
The Governor of New York promises me some specimens of a new 
mineral lately found on the shores of Lake Superior, which has been 
named ' chloractolite,' from its bright starry lustre. It something re- 
sembles a dark green serpentine in colour, but the shining brilliant 
aj^pearance it has will render it valuable for jewellery purposes. No 
specimens have yet been found much larger than a sixpence, and 
most I saw were not bigger than pearls. Mr. and Mrs. Hall came 



THE FIVE POINT?. 157 

to Albany in the evening: be told us about his geological tour round 
Lake SujDcrior and Michigan, and let me have reports by the (Jnited 
States' geologists Foster and Whitney, which include some very in- 
teresting sketches of the trap-rock called the Monument on Isle Royal, 
and of the singular castle-shaped formations which border part of 
Lake Supei-ior. I recollect that Banvard's Mississippi Panorama re- 
presented rocks beyond St. Louis of a castellated form. The light 
was more favourable this morning for seeing the Hudson Kiver than 
when I went up it last. We left much snow at Albany ; but upon 
approaching Kew York the ground was no longer white, and an 
afternoon clear and sunshiny concluded by a promising red sunset. 
We arrived at the St. Nicholas Hotel soon after five o'clock. Mrs. 
Elizabeth Blackwell came to see me in the evening. I had some 
conversation with Mr. Delevan, one of the conscientious promoters 
of the Maine Law, &c. I was not convinced by his arguments; I 
could not help thinking that he forgot the American principle of in- 
dividual freedom : the same reasoning he made use of would hold 
good for every kind of interference with our neighboui-s w^hen we 
disapprove their conduct. It is curious that the JN'ew England 
people, descendants of those Pilgrim Fathers who crossed the Atlan- 
tic to preserve their own freedom of opinion, have ever proved them- 
selves intolerant as regards the spiritual liberty of others. 

December 15. — I visited the Five Points yesterday, and my ex- 
pectations were fully realized. No fine buildings, no clap-trap exhibi- 
tions of classification and order and philanthropic luxury. Mr. Pease's 
charity ' w^orketh by love.' The destitute, the friendless, the erring, 
there find aid, friendship, advice, and consolation ; the poor ' have the 
Gospel preached to them,' and the sick and the sorrowful are healed, 
comforted, and bid to go in peace, as Christ would have bid them go. 

December 16. — A return of visits occupied nearly the whole of 
yesterday, as I set out this morning by rail to Philadelphia. I went 

across the feriy to Brooklyn, to call upon Mr. and Mrs. S 's, (of 

Ottawa) youngest daughter, Mrs. C , and I there met John 

Macka}', who told me that my wish is gratified by the name of By- 
town being finally changed to that of Ottawa City. The weather here 



158 NEW YORK. 

is now darap and mild. I crossed the North River ferry at nine 
o'clock, to take the cars for Philadelphia. We passed through several 
towns, in a flat country, devoid of picturesque scenery for the first 
sixty miles. Then at last I could have believed myself on the 
western outskirts of the New Forest, substituting hemlock spruce and 
red cedars for the yews and hollies of England. As we approached 
the shores of the Delaware, the red cedars became so numerous that 
many of the fields were bordered with them ; and from their regular- 
ity I suppose they must have been planted. I am glad to see some 
signs of planted trees in this State and that of New York ; so some 
of these days these may be fine single trees. At present 1 have not 
met with anything I should call fine-spreading ornamental timber ; 
and I see that it can only arise from new plantations ; for the trees 
of the forest run up tall and slender, without tap roots, and they have 
such slight hold of the ground, that when thinned out or left stand- 
ing alone, the first storm lays them prostrate. The Delaware is a 
fine river, and Philadelphia an extensive city ; but there is an unin- 
teresting sameness in its long streets of red brick houses, with glaring 
white window-shutters. Circumstances will not allow of my prolonging 
my stay beyond to-morrow. I observe no more evidence of Quaker- 
ism in this town than in any other. 

Sunday^ December 17. — A gloomy-looking, wintry day, though 
without snow, and the cold less extreme than at Albany. After a 
search of two hours yesterday afternoon, I found the residence of the 
Bishop of Pennsylvania, brother to the Bishop of New York. I 
w^as kindly received by Mrs. Potter, and spent the evening at her 
house ; but the bishop is absent upon distant episcopal duty — much 
to my regret. I w^as taken to St. Andrew's church this morning, 
and heard a sermon devoid of hope and love — depravity, total 
depravity — gloom, misery, and despair — the light of the Gospel ex- 
tinguished, and sin and Satan made despotic over this w^-etched 
world 1 The church was crammed ; but I saw several people sleep- 
ing soundly through the preacher's denunciations, and few appeared 
to be edified. I have now heard the two extremes of pjeachers, 
high and low, each taking a one-sided view, and each maintaining a 



SISTERS OF CHARIXr. 159 

kind of infallibility for their o^vn individual opinion under the shields 
of Church and Scripture — both equally dogmatic, and equally sure 
that every view except his own is erroneous. I drank tea with Mrs. 

Potter, and at nine o'clock Dr. R called to take me to see Mrs. 

R , and her tine house and conservatories, gorgeous French satin 

furniture, and Gobelin tapestried chairs worthy of Windsor Castle. 
Both in furniture and dress, the majority of American ladies appear 
to be wholly regardless of expense. 

Baltimore^ December \^. — Before leaving Philadelphia yester- 
day, I made acquaintance with an agreeable physician. Dr. G— , 
who introduced me to our consul, Mr. Mathew. The consul knows 
friends of mine, and I was much obliged to him for some useful 
information. Although heavy snow fell the early part of the morn- 
ing, as my departure was delayed till twelve o'clock, the weather 
cleared. I had a pleasant sunshiny journey of four hours to Balti- 
more, where I found few signs of snow. Mrs. W- , one of my 

pleasant acquaintances of the White Mountains, met me at this hotel, 
and took me to her home — snug, cheerful, and well (though not too 
finely) furnished. My friend showed me some shells, and evinced 
more interest in natural productions than I have found among ladies 
generally in this country. We passed over three rivers in our way 
here yesterday — the Delaware, the Gunpowder, and the Susque- 
hanna ; the last a magnificent water, and the same I saw as a 
smaller stream in my way from Ithaca to Syracuse. Baltimore is 
situated upon the Patapsco, which is here very broad, and more like 
an arm of the sea than a river. 

December 20. — Mrs. AV took me this morning to see Mount 

Hope, a lunatic asylum, managed by about twenty Sisters of Charity, 
who reside at a house in a very pi-etty situation, overlooking the city 
and neighbourhood. The sisters act under the direction of an ex- 
cellent Protestant physician — Dr. Stokes. No bigotry upon either 
side mars Christian labour : love, cheerfulness, comfort, and industry 
alleviate and bless the inmates of Mount Hope. So much pains is taken 
to avoid even the appearance of coercion, that the window-frames, 
which are made of cast-iron of a particular construction, are opened 



160 -VVASHINGTON. 

a little way by the same ir.ovement at top and bottom, thus letting 
in sufBcient air without the possibility of the gap being wide enough 
for danger, so that patients are allowed to open them wifhout risk. 
A library of suitable and amusing books, objects of natural history, 
music, handiworks, are all at the disposal of the inmates ; and 
though some must be under restraint, it is a restraint of'tlie kindest 
and gentlest description. We afterwards w^ent to a bazaar of ladies' 
work, held for the benefit of a home for the aged in reduced circum- 
stances. All denominations of religionists had united their en- 
deavours ; and although I observe much variety of opinien in re- 
ligious matters, I think that Christians here do lay aside their 
differences when a common work is to be accomplishefl. I dined 

and spent the evening with Mr. and Mrs. W . 

December 21. — Yesterday, I saw two of the prettiest and best- 
appointed houses in this place ; both fitted up in good taste, but 
without the extreme extravagance and ostentation I remarked in 
some of the residences of the Northern States. Here, for the first 
time, I see nothing but black servants — slaves, I believe ; but their 
manner and countenances express contentment and cheerfulness; 
and certainly the relation of mistress and servant in the South 
has a more agreeable aspect than that of the same station in the 
Northern States, which is commonly characterized by complaints of 
annoyance upon one side, and a saucy indiiference upon the other. 

The dinner-party at Mrs. W 's was agreeable, and I met there 

several pretty Southern ladies : their voices and way of speaking 
struck me as more refined and graceful than those of the other 
States I have visited. Among some of them, too, I find more just 
views of England and English society — at least, among those of 
Baltimore ; further on, I understand, there is universal prejudice, 
and an embittered tone of feeling, arising partly from family recol- 
lections of the severities practised by the English government and 
military, in the struggle for independence ; and partly from the well- 
intentioned but ill-judged interference of the present English genera- 
tion about the Slavery question. I reached Washington this after- 
noon — so much in the dark, that I was unable to judge of the 



THE CAPITOL AND MUSEUM. 161 

beauties of the Potomac, the shores of which river we must have 
skirted in our way. 

December 22.~I dine to-day with the British minister, wdio has 
been so obliging as to show me the Capitol and Museuiu, where I 
saw many interesting but uncatalogued specimens in natural history. 
There is an Alligator Gar from Lake Pontchartrain, which, as far as 
it was possible to judge from distant inspection, is of a different kind 
from that specimen which I obtained from Lake Champlain, 
although certainly of the same family. An extraordinary-looking 
fish, two or three feet long, with a platypus-like snout (which seems 
made for scooping up mud or sand, as it extends half a foot over the 
mouth), was in the same case. There are sitting mummies from 
Centi-al America with singularly short forearms ; and an orni- 
thorynchus from Australia, the claws of which have the property of 
inflicting venomous wounds. Part of the Capitol is a handsome 
build'ng, but the glaring white with which the stone is painted mars 
its effect ; and heavy ugly wings are in process of erection. I shall 
not see Congress in session until after Christmas. From a verandah 
out of the library, I gained a good view of the site of Washington 
and the Potomac river. The ground plan of wide alleys diverging 
from the Capitol is a fine one ; if ever the present small mean-look- 
ing brick houses should be replaced by a handsome public and 
domestic architecture, this city will be worthy to be called the 
Capital of the Union. But at present the population is less than 
that of Detroit, and the general appearance of the town not half as 
handsome. 

Saturday, Decemher 23. — I was introduced to several gentlemen, 
members of the Legislative Houses, and of the high legal courts ; 

and I find society here most agreeable. Dr. and Mrs. B , White 

Mountain friends, called and took me to pay some visits. And in 
the evening, at eight o'clock, I was politely received by the President 
and Mrs. Pierce. I was at first shown into comfortable and hand- 
somely furnished rooms, alone ; but she soon joined me, and after a 
while, the President came in. He is a quiet-looking, pale, gentle- 
manly man ; but both he and Mrs. P had a manner of subdued 

8* 



162 WASHINGTON. 

unostentatious sadness, so tliat during this visit I thought more and 
sympathized more with the bereaved parents, than with them as the 
President and President's wife of the United States of America. In 
about half an hour I took leave, and returned to this hotel in time 
for a late tea. 

Sunday^ December 24. — Rain having fallen last night, and 
frost having followed, the pavement of the streets is covered by 
sheets of ice, and it appears quite impossible to venture out. I heard 
a great many amusing stories to-day of Southern origin. There is 
certainly great attachment between the negroes and their masters 
(speaking generally), in spite of the facts detailed in Uncle Tom. 
One gentleman told me that he has a distant plantation, which he 
sometimes visits alone ; at dinner-time, he finds a table loaded with 
all kinds of delicacies, presents from the slaves. He remonstrated 
with an old Darky who waited, upon the uselessness of dressing 
fowls, turkey, geese, ducks, ham, &c., for one person. ' No matter, 
massa. When raassa comes, must have good dinner on table, 
whether massa eat it or not.' A negro had an unfortunate love for 
brandy, and though in other respects a good ' boy,' he was caught 
stealing his favourite drink. At seventy years of age, his master did 
aot wish to punish him severely. So he appealed to Blackey's own 
conscience. ' Harry, you know you deserve correction ; but with 
ill your faults, you have a notion of justice. Now, if you think it 
right, you shall go unpunished ; if not, you shall condemn yourself.' 
Well, massa, me ole man — me take ten lashes, and me hope be 
better.' And he went out, ordered his own punishment, and sub- 
mitted to it without a murmur ! 

A Frenchman and his wife, settled in the South, a few miles 
Tom a town where the husband went in every morning for his em- 
ployment : he procured a horse, and his wife made him an orna- 
mented bridle, and smartened him up, and he was to ride backwards 
and forwards to avoid fatigue ; in coming home one day, a rattle- 
make lay in a threatening attitude in the path ; the horse started, 
and, when pressed to pass, threw his master actually upon the reptile : 
be jumped up and ran one way, the rattlesnake making off the 



A MOTLEY ASSEMBLAGE. 1G3 

other, and lie told Iiis wife: * Never saw a snake so dom-scared in 
all my life ! ' On Cliristnias-day I w alked to cluircli with a young 
lady, whose family reside within a few miles of this place ; but they 
take up their residence in this house during the winter. I under- 
stand that the habit of hotel life is every year becoming more 
general in the States : this is partly encouraged by the troubles 
arising from servants ; the older ladies get rid of house-keeping, and 
the young ladies are indulged with constant society ; but to English 
tastes this mode of existence would be unbearable — continued noise, 
bustle, and excitement, no repose of mind, and no home duties. It 
is advantageous to a ibreigner, who wishes to becouie acquainted 
with the people of the country ; but I should suppose it must be 
ruinous to the manners and the domestic character of the higher 
class of young women ; frivolity and indolence must be encouraged, 
for any regular plan of industrial occupation is a hopeless attempt in 
such places as these. I would rather take up my abode in any 
farm-house in England, than be condemned to fritter aw^ay my life 
in a great American hotel. Still, for me, as a stranger and a traveller, 
it is uncommonly pleasant ; I find acquaintances from Cuba, Cali- 
fornia, all the Southern States ; from each of the Northern — even 
some from Canada ; naval men, who have visited Japan ; politicians, 
judges, bishops, botanists, geologists, educationalists, philanthropists, 
abolitionists, slave-holders, voyages of discovery men, and men who 
have been some of all these things at various periods of their lives, 
with a large number of ladies, all willing to converse, and vying in 
kindness and hospitality towards me, the only foreigner and stranger 
among them. All this makes me sometimes fear I may be inclined 
to over-value myself, and that before my return to England I may 
be puffed up by conceit and vanity : the best hope is, that I hardly 
have time to become inflated ; for there is also much here to make 
one forget self. The Bishop of Pennsylvania, brother to my friend 
the Bishop of New York, arrived here from a tour in his diocese 
(which has the extent of all England), the day before yesterday, to 
superintend or take part in an Association for educational purposes, 
which holds its sessions (or conventions, as they are called here) at 



164 WASHINGTON. 

the Smithsonian Institution. Bishop Potter is so good as to allow 
of my accompanying him there, so that he unites instruction and 
attention to a stranger with his professional duties: it is impossible 
not to feel deeply the agreeable and useful influence of his truly 
Christian heart and powerful mind, so that I consider myself most 
fortunate in such an acquaintance. 

Decemher 28. — I spent nearly all day at the meeting of the 
Educational Association ; much interesting information was elicited, 
particularly from Mr. Barnard, who having been to England for the 
purpose of comparing our institutions with those of the United 
States, showed himself well-informed and candid in his deductions. 
I was surprised to find that there are still 600,000 people in the 
United States unable either to write or read ; and that this ignorance 
is by no means confined to the emigrant population. I accompanied 
the bishop to a party at Mr. Corcoran's, where there are some 
pretty pictures, one of Morland's, from which I remember seeing a 
print in my childhood. The educational meeting did not break up 
until Friday, the 29th, after proposing that the next meeting of the 
Association shall be held at N'ew York, the end of August, 1855. 
The Bishop of Pennsylvania and other members left Washington 
in the afternoon of that day. Among the remarks made by Pro- 
fessor Henry and others, as to the results of early discipline and 
self-control upon the character of after-life ; it was observed that no 
instance of unhappy, childish old age could be brought to mind, in 
which the cultivation of the intellect and the habits of varied study, 
alternating with healthy bodily exercise, were continued without 
intermission after sixty years of age, and had been regularly pursued 
in previous life. It is supposed that old people must be wedded to 
the opinions and customs of their youth ; but this is the misfortune 
of those only who consider their notions fixed and their education 
and information complete : a man still seeking instruction at seventy 
will be as open to conviction and to change of opinion as he was at 
seventeen : it is the ' too-old-to-learn i^^ople ' who sink into dotage 
and depression. Another aw^ful fact for the dissolute or the idle 
youth must be stated — that even when the check of public opinion 



DANCING. 165 

and love of approbation induce self-control and moral conduct 
during the middle age, if there has not been laid in early life a 
foundation of principle and good habits, the consequences of early 
profligacy show themselves in a return to vicious acts, as mental 
power wanes with added years, and the hoary sinner goes to his 
grave in sin and misery — so the end of that man is worse than his 
beginning. It may be well for the young to hear this ; for it was 
enunciated and agreed to as truth by a body of men whose know- 
ledge and experience can hardly be gainsaid. This evening I was 
invited by Mrs. Fremont, in the absence of her husband, to see a 
series of daguerreotypes, brought by Colonel Fremont from the 
Eocky Mountains : though many had reference merely to a choice 
of country for railroads, they are on the whole very interesting ; 
some rocks of the old red sandstone formation stood up from a 
plain, in form and appearance like gigantic Egyptian statues ; these 
were in the Mormon district. On returning to Willard's, I. found 
dancing going on very merrily in the ladies' room, four negroes — 
piano, hautboy, violin, and violoncello — playing in excellent tune, 
and with suflicient taste and time. The ladies were all in demi- 
toilette ; but I do not see so generally the absurd flaunty style of 
attire so remarkable at New York. 

Yours affectionately, 

A. M. M. 



LETTEK XV. 



THE NEW YEAK 



■Washington, January 1, 1S55. 

My dear Friends, — 

No former year of my life has begun so strangely as this ! 
I think there is something beautiful in one feature of the American 
celebration of New Year's Day. It is made an opportunity for the 
oblivion of neglects, and for the forgiveness of social injuries. On 
this day, visits of kindness and congratulation are not confined to 
intimate friends, but every one who has a wish to be civil to his 
neighbour is cordially received by him or her. The ladies commonly 
stay at home to welcome their visitors, while gentlemen make a 
point of calling upon all their acquaintances, remaining at each 
house perhaps not more than five minutes ; but still the call is ac- 
cepted as one of cordiality and good-will. In many famiUes, re- 
freshments of an elegant kind are prepared and offered by the lady 
of the house ; and from the President downwards, the population in 
all the towns and cities are intent upon the promotion of hospitality 
and kind feeling. Mr. Crampton took me into the diplomatic circle 
at the White House, where, being presented to most of the gentle- 
men, I actually shook hands with the Russian minister ; and at this 
moment was not that the greatest homage I could offer to the peace- 
making duty of the day ? We next visited Secretary Marcy's, where 



WASHINGTON AND ANDRE. 167 

there was a reception, which, Hke that of the President, may be at- 
tended by everybody. As we were early, the party was small ; but 

afterwards I went to Dr. B 's, where for three hours I was 

present at an in-pouring of visitors, and I made the acquaintance of 
many interesting and agreeable people ; among them a charming 
Lithuanian lady, the wife of a Polish gentleman of rank, nearly con- 
nected with Prince Czartoiiski. Dancing and other amusements at 
the Hotel in the evening. 

January 2. — Part of the morning was devoted to the School of 
Design, which is well directed by Mr. Whittaker, who was born an 
Englishman. A lady afterwards carried me to the State Paper 
Office, where I saw interesting documents ; amonij them some 
private letters characteristic of the firm, purpose-like Washington ; 
and a most touching original note, containing poor Andre's request 
for a soldier's death, instead of that of the gibbet. The calm, 
gentlemanly writing, without tremor and unmarked by haste — not 
an unnecessary stroke nor a useless word — takes one into the very 
heart of the man who wrote it. Washington was deeply moved, 
but gave no reply. After all he Avas right. Though poor Andre 
w^as the victim of that wretch Arnold (who lived only to die a 
hundred times over under the scorn of England and America), still 
he was taken in diso-ulse ; and since Washinoton felt that an ex- 
ample had become necessary, he was obliged to condemn Andre as 
the spy, not as the soldier. After oar visit to the State department, 

I went by the request of Miss G and with her, to see a youiig 

lady, in the hope that, by joining my persuasions to Miss G 's, 

we might induce her to assist some effort for training women, through 
an improved education, for teachers. In the evening, I accompanied 
another lady to hear Mr. Marsh's lecture on Constantinople and the 
Bosphorus. We met the President and Mrs. Pierce, who were on 
the platform at the Smithsonian Institution. The lecture was 
rather commonplace, but the large room was crowded by an intelli- 
gent and attentive audience. It is in form and arrangement one of 
the best lecture-rooms I ever saw. These last three days the weather 
has been clear and pleasant, but not warmer than in England. 



1 08 WASUINOTOX. 

January 3. — Mr. Ingersoll took me to see Congress in session. 
I was fortunate in the moment accidentally chosen. After some 
time spent in hearing a rather confused and noisy debate, there were 
two good speeches in their several lines, one from a young man, the 
Californian member — clear, concise, fluent, and business-like ; it was 
about a land commission : the other, from Mr. K , of South Car- 
olina — fervid, energetic, argumentative, and eloquent. It must be 
borne in mind that the terms ' Whig ' and ' Democrat ' have differ- 
ent meanings here to those which they express in England. The 
American Democrat designates enlightened, consistent principles ; the 

Whig, narrow-minded, bigoted Republicanism. Mr. K 's speech 

lasted one hour, without proving tedious or uninstructive. It is im- 
possible in a few words to do justice either to his eloquence or his 
reasoning ; but after making a rapid though comprehensive sketch 
of the present state of parties in this country, he affirmed that in fact 
there never has been in the world, and never can be, more than two 
great parties — consisting, one of well-informed liberal men, the other 
of ignorant bigoted men ; that new names and a new organization 
are only a sign that under old names one of the old parties has 
become effete. So, at the present moment, the Whigs have appa- 
rently disbanded, but in truth they have only reformed, to enlist and 
to march under the 'Know-nothing' banners. They have indeed 
assumed a most suitable and characteristic designation, one which 
might well have been selected by their opponents. Socialists in prac- 
tice, they desire to arm labour against capital ; Roman Catholics in 
principle, they would advocate bigotry in lieu of tolerance ; arbitrary 
in government, they would enact white slavery while they profess to 
do away with black servitude. Falsifying the principles and tearing 
np the foundations of freedom, ' they are,' said the orator, ' mutes 
who would follow the funeral of the Republic' Upon the whole I 
was agreeably surprised with the good speaking jmd general appear- 
ance of Congress ; because I have been told by almost everyone 
since I came to America, that I should find a sad lack of talent and 
political honesty. Respecting the latter quality, of course I am not 
capable of judging ; but there seems no lack of honest faces, and I 



ANNIVERSARY SUPPER. 169 

find less assumption in manner than I expected. Mr. Ingersoll took 
me into the Speaker's private room, where we found Mr. Boyd alone, 
havino; been diseno-ao'ed from the chair bv a committee of the 
* whole ' (as it is called here), which enables the Speaker to place a 
substitute in his chair. In this room I saw the place where President 
Adams expired ; it is marked by his bust. Upon my return home, 

finding Mr. C had called twice, I went to see him at his house, 

and w-e had an interesting conversation upon educational subjects. 
In the evening I dined with our minister, and sat between Secretary 
Marcy and Mr. Gushing, the Attorney-General. There w\as a large 
party of gentlemen, and three ladies besides myself — Mrs. Marcy's 
sister (Mrs. French), Miss Marcy, and Mrs. Gampbell, wife of the 
Solicitor-General. Upon returning to Willard's Hotel, I found the 
gallery and ladies' room crowded by visitors, and the mulatto band, 
as usual, in requisition. I was introduced to Mr. Kietl, the orator 
of the morning. There are ' Know-nothings' (even feminine ones) 
among the residents in this hotel. I can easily discover them by 
their crude, unintelligent style of conversation. 

Thursday/, January 4. — There was a great assemblage last night 
in the room underneath mine — a supper of gentlemen for the cele- 
bration of some anniversary ; a band of music, songs, speeches, and 
vociferous applause. Sleep being out of the question, I rose at two 
o'clock, and almost read through, Lord Carlisle's Diary in the Turk- 
ish Waters before daylight. Of course I was gratified at finding 
our cousin of the Retribution so highly spoken of in it. This morn- 
ing I was a good deal occupied in arranging a sitting in my own 

room, that Mrs. S (the only very talented American artist I have 

yet met with) might have the opportunity to make a drawing of an 
acquaintance of mine. In the library of the Capitol there is one of the 
most exquisite miniatures by this lady I ever saw. It almost resem- 
bles some of Thorburn's ; but there is so little real appreciation of art in 
Washington, that I found Mrs. S hardly able to procure em- 
ployment, crowded as the city is with notabilities from all parts of the 
Union. Her slioht sketches, as well as the more finished miniatures, 
are pretty, and her drawing correct ; yet, excepting a little instruc- 



170 WASHINGTON. 

tion from some English person when very young, she appears almost 
wholly self-taught. Lieutenant Maury was so obliging as to call ; 
he gave me a tempting invitation to drink tea with his family at the 
Observatory, the first evening I see any chance of visible stars. In 
the afternoon, Mr. and Mi's. Ingersoll took me again to the Capitol. 
There had been an early adjournment of the Senate, and though 
Congress was sitting (it was not engaged in business which interest- 
ed me), a large majority of members were occupied at their desks 
wiiting letters. This habit deteriorates much from the dignity and 
statesmanlike appearance of the House ; and I remember observing 
the same thing, and making the same remark, in the Chamber of 
Deputies at Paris, Quebec, and in all the legislative assemblies in 
which the members, instead of being obliged to retire to the lobbies 
(as in our parliamentary houses) for letter-writing and private busi- 
ness, are accommodated with chairs and tables in the halls, where 
public affairs only should be transacted. Here members of Congress 
remain half their time, unconscious of what is going forward, absorbed 
in their individual interests, when they ought to be wholly given 
to those of the public — so that they look more like an assemblage 
of clerks than of statesmen. To-day I dined with the President, by 
the formal invitation of a week. The party consisted of about thir- 
ty-two. I sat between Mr. Bi'oadhead and Mr. Ashley, two mem- 
bers of the Senate, who have passed some time in England. There 
were a good many ladies, but more gentlemen. The President 
and Mrs. Pierce sat opposite on each side the table ; and I was 
near the former. The dinner was handsome, and w^ell arranged 
in French fashion ; flowers and fruit only on the table, and one 
dish at a time handed round. In the reception-room there w^ere 
some splendid white camelHas, covered by flowers which I think are 
larger here than any with us ; great use is made of the fir-like Lycopo- 
dium and the elegant Steevia, in the composition of ornamental bou- 
quets, some of which were placed at the disposal of the ladies. At 
half-past nine the party broke up, having met at six o'clock. Upon 
returning to' the hotel, I spent the remainder of the evening in plea- 
sant conversation — principally with Miss Cass ; she and her father, 



SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTE. l7l 

General Cass, usually reside in this house <lurino- the winter. The 
society in the ladies' room is diversified, and by ^o means stiff. There 
are whist- tables, and occasional dancing and music. I never saw any 
card-plaving for money in the United States. 

Saturday, January 6. — Mrs. Fremont called upon me yester- 
day morning ; and from her brother-in-law j\[r. Jones, I received a 
large long-shaped acorn, eatable like the Spanisli chestnut. It was 
brought from a mountainous region in California. This and one 
black as ebony from the same country, I hope to send soon by a 
private hand to be planted in England. I have a pretty little sleep- 
ing tortoise also, the Picta ; when Dr. and Mrs. Gray arrive, I shall 
ask them to carry it back to Boston to await my return there. I 
liope to have this, and a box tortoise from Albany, and a spotted 
one from Rhode Island, as live specimens of the tortoise fami- 
lies. I spent the chief part of the 5th of January in returning visits. 

This morning, the 6th, I walked to ihe Smithsonian Institute, 
and got much information about objects of natural history from 
Professor Baird. Another foggy damp day, quite as thick as any in 
London, barring the smoke, I have been reading two pamphlets 
giving opposite views upon the subject of the Smithsonian Institu- 
tion. A controversy is going on here respecting the distribution of 
the fund left by our countryman to found an establishment at Wash- 
ington ' For the Increase and Diffusion of Knowledge among Men.' 
It would be difficult to credit the fact, had I not the best authority 
for it, that the whole annual income, being thirty thousand dollars, a 
vote of Congress decided (appointing Regents to carry its decisions 
into effect), that 'a suitable building of sufficient size, with rooms 
and halls for reception and arrangement, upon a liberal scale, of 
objects of natural history, geological, mineralogical, and botanical, 
properly classed and arranged, with a chemical laboratory, lecture- 
rooms, (fcc, shall be organized ; ' and then assigned a sum not ex- 
ceeding twenty-five thousand dollars for a library. If this were to 
be understood as appropriating five parts of the whole income to 
buying and collecting books, the absurdity of the first provisions 
would be evident ; so the managers (as it appears to me sensibly 



172 WA SHIN U TON. 

enough) took advantage of the loop-hole afforded by the words 'not 
exceeding,' and have gone on, to the best of their ability, endeavour- 
ing to realize the apparent intentions of the founder and of Con- 
gress; and, as far as I can judge, in a reasonable and intelligent 
manner. Yet a party of men of some talent and ability are bent 
upon maintaining that a library, and a library only, was to be estab- 
lished. If Mr. Smithson had contemplated this narrow view, he 
could easily have stated it. I should imagine it was his intention, 
by 'A Central Institution for the Diffusion of Knowledge among 
Men,' to counteract the mercantile and Mammonite spirit which 
possesses the majority, and open the book of Nature to their com- 
prehension : while by promoting healthier ideas upon education, the 
crude and absurd opinions too generally advanced and acted upon, 
will be amended and counteracted, and an improved and more prac- 
tical female training will be encouraged. It will no longer be gravely 
enunciated at an educational convention — 'That the stimulus which 
the human heart requires is wanting for women in the present age, 
and that society gives them nothing to aim at;' but if so, give them 
reasonable aims. Let them aim at duty, not notoriety. Let them 
keep within their appropriate sphere, cultivating sufficient moral 
courage to act within that sphere for the benefit of their fellow-crea- 
tures, and particularly for the advantage of their sex ; disciplining 
and training their own minds to be the educated companions, not 
the rivals, of men. Let them be the heart-consolers, the binders-up 
of broken spirits, the 'sisters of the sisterless,' the presiding geniuses 
of the social circle. Is that not work enough for them to do ? In 
this country, I hear that 'though it has no queen, all the ivomen are 
queens.'' I should rather call them playthings — dolls ; things treated 
as if they were unfit or unwilling to help themselves or others : and 
while we in England have nearly cast aside arts of the toilet worthy 
only of dolls, I see here false brows, false bloom, false hair, false 
everything ! — not ahvays, but too frequently. Dress in America, as 
an almost general rule, is full of extravagance and artificiality ; and 
while women show such a want of reliance upon their native powers 
of pleasing, their influence in society will be more nominal than 
real. 



CUBA AND HER WRONGS. lYS 

Monday^ January 8. — This day I made my first appearance at a 
morning reception. Ladies here issue cards or notes, stating they 
are at home on particular days, when any acquaintances may visit 
them. This is a pleasant and rational mode of making calls, and 
appears to me worthy of adoption elsewhere. Mr. IngersoU was so 
obliging as to take me to listen to arguments in the Supreme Legal 
Court, the only tribunal which is competent to settle questions which 
may arise between States. A counsel spoke so clearly and concisely 
upon a particular point of law, that he brought it within my com- 
prehension ; the case was, that of the boundary line to be drawn 
between Georgia and Florida. My friends Dr. and Mrs. Gray have 
arrived from Cambridge. I dined with them at Professor Henry's, 
and went to the Smithsonian Institution to hear the first of nine lec- 
tures on botany by Dr. Gray. Although the morning was fine and 
clear, rain came on at night; and since Lieutenant Maury's invitation 
to the Observatory, the weather has afforded no opportunity for its 
acceptance. 

Tuesday^ January 9. — Cloudy and damp. I went with an agree- 
able Cuban gentleman, Mr. ,to a morning reception at Mrs. 

P 's, and then he took me to see some pictures at the Capitol, 

which are to be disposed of by raffle. One, St. Thomas giving 
Charity (by a pupil of Murillo's, touched by the master), is an inter- 
esting picture ; the others I did not admire. The absence of any 
positive news from England is very trying, and the details brought by 
the former mail most afiiicting ; still, however saddening, no English 
person can despair of the ultimate success of heroism and civilization 
against cruelty and barbarism. 

I have become well acquainted with some pleasant intelligent 
Cuban families here, and their accounts make me feel it impossible 
not to wish that their fine island should be more free, misgoverned 
and pillaged as it is by its present masters ; and not being very far 
from the American shores, I wish America could purchase it : the 
case would be analogous to that policy of Mr. Pitt, by which the 
Crown of England took possession of the little kingdom of Man ; 
and with respect to which our family had only the choice of accept- 



174 WASHIiNGTON. 

ing a certain sum, or of having it seized by the law of th(? strongest. 
The mines alone in the last mentioned island now produce more 
than the interest of the money. 

Wednesday ^January 10. — Last night I attended an evening party, 
•which included all the notabilities of Washington. It was much 
like a crowded assembly in London, except that I thought there was 
more amusement ; because the Washington party consisted of a re- 
union of people who, though under the same government, reside 
thousands of miles apart. There I received invitations from the 
South and the North, the East and the West, and fully mean to avail 
myself of some of them. I was given a very hospitable one, to visit 
a mem.ber of Congress who resides upon the Mississippi, not an im- 
practicable distance from the falls of St. Anthony. Some of the 
invitations are to Mexico, Texas, and California ; not forgetting the 
Salt Lake, in consequence of an introduction to the Mormon dele- 
gate — a gentlemanly, respectable-looking old man w'ith a bald head. 
I did not inquire if he has twelve wives; but an amusing account 
has been given me with regard '\o the domestic arrangements of that 
strange people. It seems that when the first wife wants help in the 
household, she petitions her husband to take another spouse — a good 
cook or a dairywoman for instance, or a sempstress — so one wife is 
housekeeper, another has the cooking department, a third manages 
the nursery, and so forth ; and as there is no small difficulty in get- 
ting good servants in the United States, this matrimonial plan 
ensures a more permanent and better ordered household than could 
be attained without it. I am informed that the domestic ti'oubles of a 
wife in tlK, United States are such that, unless she resides in the 
slave countries, she thinks it far more convenient to be first wife, with 
half-a-dozen subordinate ones, than to be sole darling with the dis- 
advantages of saucy servants and the discomforts of bad dinners ; so 
that, in fact, Republicanism, and an unnatural attempt at equal- 
ity, has caused a return of the terrible evils of polygamy. What 
a curious result. I hope this strange custom will not spread over 
the Union ! 

January 1 1 . — I spent three hours in Congress yesterday liopirig 
to hear Mr. C speak about the ' Know-nothings;' the House 



A POSTULATE. 175 

was taken iipbr a hot discussion upon tbe question of foreigners receiv- 
inof immediate o-rantsof land, with an iinderstandino: that the franchise 
will become theirs at the termination of five years, which is the 
present law. This of course bore upon the ' Know-nothing ' ground, 
and it is sad to see how deeply a secret society, banded together 
upon exclusive, illiberal, and arbitrary principles, has taken root in 
the free soil of x\merica. In conversation, it is easy to judge whe- 
ther individuals are in their hearts favourable to such views ; and 
every day makes me think the ramifications of the conspiracy have 
extended to a depth and a distance about which I was for a time 
incredulous. There is much reason to fear this irrational party may 
have power enough to carry the presidential chair : if so, I really 
think the 'mutes' may get their black trappings prepared to-morrow 
for the funeral of the Republic — a catastrophe prophesied by the 
member of South Carolina ; and I fear those obsequies may not 
only be wept in sackcloth and ashes, but that they may be followed 
by a civil war. There seems a dearth of strong men in the Union — 
men capable of taking the lead, and siifliciently patriotic to sacrifice 
their own present personal interest to the public weal. I observe a 
sad spirit of corruption and of self-seeking among the younger 
men ; and I also see that fear and doubt are shaking the spirits of 
the elder and wiser peoj^le. No one seems even to guess what will 
come out of the fermenting process which the commonest observer 
must see at work. The lees have risen to the surface ; whether they 
will sink again to the bottom of the political chaldron without poi- 
soning the life-blood of this world-wide community, is the question 
seldom uttered, but deeply seated in the minds of h'-nest and 
thoughtful persons. I doubt whether this mental conflict here is 
not more alarming than the external and pliysical war the Allies 
have to wage against the bcirbarism of the North, inasmuch as open 
enmity is better than secret contention ; the known foe can be met 
and conquered, but a concealed antagonist effects his mischief upon 
imconscious victims. 

Yours affectionately, 

A. M. M. 



LETTER XVI. 



Wasdingtox. 
January 12, 1655. 



My Dear Friends, — 

I went yesterday, with Mrs. Seymour and Mrs. Cristobal do 
Madan, to hear the (ahuost single) Roman Catholic member, Mr. 
Chandler, speak in Congress, for the purpose of repudiating and 
denying the accusation brought against his co-religionists by Mr. 
Banks of Massachusetts (one of the advocates of the ' Know-nothing' 
conspiracy), Avhich asserted that they, the Roman Catholics, ac- 
knowledge a temporal jurisdiction in the Papacy. The House was 
at first occupied by a motion, made by some member from the South, 
for increasing the allowance to foreign ministers. lie said, the 
salaries given are so meagre, that it is difficult to induce men of 
talent and experience to undertake missions, and therefore the aflairs 
of the States (in Europe) are embroiled and mismanaged by a set 
of inferior diplomatists. I am not enough acquainted with the pulse 
of the American Congress to judge how this proposition was 
received ; but the intense and respectful attention afforded to Mr. 
Chandler I thought a good sign of generous and tolerant feeling ; 
and this makes me hope that there is still freedom and impartiality 
enough in the Union to counteract the narrow and inconsistent 
opinions of Repubhcan bigotry. Mr. Chandler's address was good, 
both in manner and matter : it was well worded, calm, logical, and 
frank. He affirmed most solemnly, that so far from believing any 



EXTINCTION OF THE TRIBES. l77 

right could be assumed by the Bisliops of Rome touching upon 
pohtical allegiance, he and all other good Catholics consider the 
spiritual rule, which they willingly admit, as quite distinct from the 
temporal: although history shows that temporal rule has been 
exercised by Roman pontifls, it was not derived from the Church 
itself, but from the Catholic princes of Europe, who chose to delegate 
undue power to the Popes of those times. 'And if,' said Mr. 
Chandler, 'the Bishops of Rome should now, or at any future time, 
invade the territory of this Republic, or of any other Protestant 
sovereignty, Roman Catholics would consider themselves bound by 
every principle, divine or human, to oppose and repel such an as- 
sumption of temporal power.' The Governor, Mrs. Seymour, and I 
dined together at the house of Governor Hamilton Fish, Mr. Seymour's 
predecessor in the government of New York State. I had a great 
deal of conversation with him, and with another old gentleman, upon 
the present state and future prospects of free slaves. They were 
both, of opinion that some inherent difference of race is the cause 
that the black people die out and become extinct in one or two 
generations after the attainment of freedom and of amalgamation 
with whites. This seems to be a universal law. Mr. Fish told me 
that, in his experience, it has worked so rapidly, that his family 
having about fifty years ago freed their negroes, though at the same 
time allowing them a claim for aid and future protection — letting 
them have the cottages and the ground to which they had been 
accustomed — still, under these advantageous circumstances, they 
have gradually dwindled away ; and though Governor Fish considers 
the remnant almost as belonging to his own family, and they apply 
to him for advice and help upon all occasions, yet not above five or 
six individuals are existing, and no one of them younger than sixty. 
I accompanied some friends to the evening reception of Mrs. Marcy, 
which was well attended, although many other houses were also 
open for parties. 

Friday J 12th. — A fine clear day. Mrs. Hamilton Fish took Mrs. -^ 
Seymour and me a drive to the heights of Georgetown ; and we 
also called on Mrs. Maury at the Observatory. It is in a beautiful 
9 



178 PRESIDElS^TIAL EVENING. 

situation, commanding the city of Washington, and also long reaches 
of the Potomac each way. Lieutenant Maury took us up to the 
roof of the building, and we are to have the pleasure of a visit to his 
observatory next week, if the stars will be favourable. I drank tea 
out with Mr. and Mrs. Seymour, and afterwards accompanied their 
party to the Presidential evening levee (as the word is here pro- 
nounced), to which all classes decently attired are admitted. We 
found two rooms crowded, but the company perfectly well conducted 
and orderly. In general aspect, I was reminded of an entertainment 
given by a London City Lord Mayor in the Guildhall. We returned 
to the hotel by eleven o'clock. 

January 13. — I received a file of Times newspapers to the 23d 
of last month, and sat up nearly all night to read them. Sad and 
heart-breaking details ; and in the paper of latest date, an article 
levelled against the Ministry and all the emi:)loyes in the East, so 
bitter and vituperative in style, and so sweeping in accusation, that 
it tells more against the writers than in condemnation of those 
written against. In this house I have made the acquaintance of 
three distinguished Generals of the Republic — Scott, Cass, and 
Houston — all massive-looking, soldier-like men. After a fine morn- 
ing the afternoon proved wet, so that I could not sketch or go to 
the Observatory ; but Mrs. Fish was so kind as to take me out to 
pay visits. After dinner, there was an evening assembly and dancing 
for the young people. I was introduced to an interesting family, 
natives of New Orleans. They spoke English, but with some accent, 
their own tongue being French ; but I much prefer our language a 
little broken to the broad and often nasal pronunciation of New 
England and New York. The Southern people have pleasing voices, 
and are much less provincial in their speech than those of the North- 
ern States. 

Sunday^ January 14. — A blind minister preached yesterday at 
the Congress chapel. I should have heard him, but the service was 
earlier than I expected, so when I reached Professor Henry's, Dr. and 
Mrs. Gray were gone. A cold clear day, but no signs of ice. Last 
night I saw a very interesting set of drawings of California and the 



OFFERS OF MARRIAGE. 1^9 

Rocky Mountains, belonging to a gentleman Avho lias been much in 
the Far West. He confirmed my deductions about the Mormonite 
domestic polity, having frequently conversed with the women of that 
State. The ladies are not shut up in idleness like those of Eastern 
harems, but livel>ft^ily together, because ihey are too busy to quar- 
rel. One woman told him — ' We agree well : sister Dolly has ,the 
cows ; sister Jenny, the children ; sister Betty, the kitchen ; and so 
on — all have plenty to do : and our husband is bound by law to 
suppoi't and take equal care of us ; and then we are so Hell-hent on 
Heaven! Is it not evident, slavery or polygamy is the product of 
an unnatural attempt after equality ? I shall certainly return to 
England more strongly imbued with attachment to our orderly insti- 
tutions. R has had offers of marriage in America; but she 

says, 'No, I will never marry here — not even if I could have the 
very President himself. Why, in England I may have my own 
station, and I'm content ; but in America I should never know what 
I was.' I find many charming people, a great deal that is interest- 
ing, and much that is instructive, in the United States ; but it ap- 
pears to me that only the fear of starvation would induce an English 
man or woman to fix themselves for life in America. ' In whatever 
state of life you are, therewith to be content,' is a lesson which can 
hardly be learned this side the Atlantic. 

January 16. — I walked up early yesterday to call upon Dr. and 

Mrs. B ; he and Mr. W brought me back, and Mrs. Fish 

was again so kind as to come and convey me to sketch on the 
Georgetown heights. And then she. waited in the carriage while 
I paid a visit to the British Minister, who is confined to his house 
owing to the consequences of an accident. Mr. and Mrs. Seymour 
and I had a pleasant dinner at Mr. and Mrs. Taloe's, where we met 
General Scott, the Mexican and French Minister, and attache, Judge 
Drew, and other acquaintances. At this house is one of the pret- 
tiest Carlo Dolces I ever saw. It once belonged to the Duchesse de 
Berri. On our return, Mr. Blake, the geologist, showed us beauti- 
fully crystallized and other specimens of Californian gold, and gave 
me some dust of Cuban iron pyrites as brilliant as diamonds. 



180 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SOUTH. 

January 1 7. — Directly after breakfast yesterday, I walked up to 
the Observatory, and spent two hours sketching from its roof. The 
views are fine every way, particularly up the Potomac towards that 
large aqueduct which carries a canal across to Georgetown. I saw 
Lieutenant Maury, and agreed with him that, as mj travels must be 
pursued on the 18th as far as Richmond, Wednesday evening (stars 
or no stars) we must spend at the Observatory. I came home in 
time to dress for a wedding, when I found a pretty bride and a 
cheerful party ; but according to custom in the reception-rooms of 
this country, they were so darkened that I should rather have sup- 
posed the assembly gathered together for a funeral than a wedding, 
I saw a great deal of beauty, although of one particular type. Pro- 
ceeding towards the South, I find the manners soften as well as the 
voice, more frankness and cheerfulness, the rather stift' formality of 
the Northern States is replaced by ease, and at the same time the 
young people are merry without being boisterous, and no one ob- 
jects to those games and amusements which the spirit of the puritan- 
ical times has handed down as crimes to be cast aside by their New 
England descendants. So oftentimes those good people are bored 
for want of innocent relaxation, and the elderly prefer staying by 
their own firesides to falling asleep in public for want of occupation. 
There is certainly an odd mixture of the ' go-ahead ' and the in- 
dolent among our American cousins, which is exemplified in the say- 
ing, that such a man ' is running a sleepy race,' which means that 
his adherents are pushing him forward for election to some office, 
while the candidate himself remains in a state of somnolent indiffer- 
ence to the result. Mr. and Mrs. Seymour took me to a place which 
has been called Calametta, from its beautiful and sunny view of the 
Potomac, (fcc. We found it a pleasant, comfortable house, with 
bright-coloured peacocks walking about in the wood surrounding it. 
I dined at the Secretary of State's with a large number of diplomatic 
gentlemen, and only four ladies besides myself. The French Minister 
sat by Mrs. Marcy, and I had Mr. Marcy on one side and the Span- 
ish Minister on the other. The dinner could not be otherwise than 
agreeable. The Secretary is a remarkably frank, agreeable old man, 
and I was not afraid to joke him a little about his republican aver- 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 181 

sion to court dresses, I found out the wliole secret afterwards. In 
his drawing-room there is an interesting picture, painted in the time 
of Louis XVI., of the King and Queen sitting in their circle, while 
some gay ladies of the Court crown Benjamin Franklin with a 
wreath of laurel. Franklin is uncontaminated by any attire more 
gay than his Quaker-like looking habiliments (though it seems he 
was occasionally seduced into a court dress, for a velvet one belong- 
ing to him is still preserved), and I guess the ladies around him 
were not without a little sly triumph of their own on the occasion 
which gave rise to the picture ; but it is evident to me that scene 
was not one of a public reception, for no gentleman is present ex- 
cepting the King. Secretary Marcy was (I think) sentimentally led 
astray in his crusade against European finery by this picture. I 
don't the least believe (an accusation I have heard here) that his 
motive w\is to curry favour with the American public, who may 
imagine an ugly coat and republicanism synonymous terms. He is 
a downright honest man, if ever I saw one ; and with all his talents 
and knowledge of the American world, upon the subject of European 
dress, he was much more likely to err from simplicity than design. 
My neighbour on the other side could only express himself in French 
and Sjianish, and as the Secretary confines himself to plain English 
as well as plain coats, the Spanish Minister is frequently obliged to 
have recourse to an interpreter, which, in a delicate diplomatic con- 
ference, he thinks is inconvenient. 

I was introduced to the Dutch Minister, who speaks English like 
a native. The Prussian looked quiet and neutral ; the French, 
anxious and incredulous. Mr. Crampton w^^s prevented by his 
accident from joining the party, a circumstance generally regretted, 
for no one is more popular in the diplomatic circle. None of the 
second grade were present — only Ministers and their attaches. Mr. 
Marcy told me he could not receive the whole corps together, and 
therefore he takes the first rank with their belongings at one dinner, 
and others separate. Mr. and Mrs. Seymour, having dined else- 
where, came to take me home, and joined the party for a short 
time. 



182 RICHMOND. 

Richmond^ Virginia, January IS. — I have just arrived at this 
place; but, before writing of our journey here, the conclusion of my 
stay at Washington must be told. Wednesday, I breakfasted with 

Dr. and Mrs. B . my friends of the White Mountains. The 

Judge and Mrs. Maclean, and Mr. P , a member of Congress, 

were of the party — it was very pleasant. Mrs. Maclean walked 
back with me as far as Professor Henry's, where I went to see Dr. and 

Mrs. Gray ; and, before going home, I had to go to Mrs. S , the 

artist. She has made a slight sketch of Longfellow for me. On 
my return to the hotel, T had much to do ; separating wardrobe, 
books, and natural history accumulations, to be forwarded to Boston : 
my acquisitions increase like a rolling snow-ball ; and from all the 
principal stopping-places during my travels, I send off packages to 

Mr. L 's care. At Washington, bouquets are general in full 

costume ; they are always made up by the gardeners, but hardly ever 
consist of any other flowers than Camelias, Canarinas, Heliotropes, 
Steevias, and violets, with the berries of Ardisia creniilata, and the 
feathery foliage of Lycopodium dendroides. I received two beau- 
tiful ones this afternoon from gentlemen ; a sweet bunch of geranium 
and Neapolitan violets was given me by a young Cuban lady ; and 
I had a white Camelia, also, from Miss Seymour. Mrs. Seymour 
dined at home with me, and at six o'clock Mrs. Fish called, to con- 
vey us to the Observatory, accompanied by Judge Drew and Mr. 
Miller. The stars shone brightly — the finest show of them I have 
yet seen in America. Lieutenant Maury took us up to the telescope 
directly on our arrival. We had a good view of a spangled bit of 
sky in Perseus, not visible to the naked eye. Sirius appeared like a 
tuft of blue, red, and gold feathers, waving in the heavens ; Saturn's 
globe and ring perfectly clear and distinct; and the belt and five 
geometrical-looking stars of Orion very bright. After our eyes and 
minds were fatigued by these marvels, we went in to drink tea 
with Mrs. MaUry, and then returned to town to attend Mr. Guthrie's 
reception, where I took leave of the Grays, the Quaker lady of 
Philadelphia, General Scott, Mr. Maury, and many others who have 
been kind to me at Washinfrton, We returned home to the 



UNPLEASANT INCIDENTS. 183 

dancing-party at Willard's, and found it crowded. I said good-bye 
to many friends there ; and upon getting up at six next morning to 

depart, I found Mr. P and Mr. M , both ready to see us safe 

on board the steamer ; they accompanied us to the Potomac ; it was 
quite dark, and their company was very cheering. A fine sunrise on 
the magnificent river, and after a very calm and successful passage of 
fifty-five miles, we found the railroad cars at Acquia Creek ; the dis- 
tance to Richmond was about seventy miles; weather continued bright, 
warm, and sunshiny. I felt the influence of a southern atmosphere, 
and the journey would have been pleasant if I had had pleasanter 
neighbours in the car; but just before me was a being who called 
himself the American Dwarf: he was about two feet high, with fin- 
like hands, and a head nearly as large as his contorted body : and, 
on my right a negro woman, in face resembling an ourang-outang, 
who gloried in a fancy straw bonnet, trimmed with white, with 
artificial roses surrounding her black muzzle. She became dread- 
fully sea, or rather rail-sick, and my window being open, although 
there was another on her side, she constantly leaned across me to 
take possession of mine ; at last a gentlemanly-looking young man, 
who I conclude was her master, came to my rescue, and throwing 
open a window behind, he said a few words which made her keep 
to her own locality. This improved my immediate circumstances ; 
but in a few minutes afterwards we were brought to a standstill, and 
looking out, saw a dreadful accident. Either from intoxication or 
insanity, a fine-looking young man, apparently not more than 
twenty-three, had placed himself on the rail just at a curve, so that 
the engineer had no time to pull up, though he did his best ; the 
poor wretch was cut in two, and expired immediately. All the 
people evinced great feehng and kindness ; the corpse of the poor 
stranger was taken up, and we proceeded. I found the Exchange a 
comfortable hotel, and the sister of Dr. Gibson of Baltimore, soon 
came to me with her married daughter : they took me to their home, 

and I passed a pleasant evening, Mr. J being so kind as to 

walk back at night with me through the still and unfrequented 
streets. There was hardly a sound until that usual occurrence, a 



184 STATUE OF WASHINGTON. 

peal of fire bells, broke the quiet. I have never been in any town 
in the United States without hearing such alarms. At Richmond it 
is not uncommon to have two or three fires a night, and these fires 
are usually the work of incendiaries ; wooden houses are so easily 
set in a blaze, that boys for mischief, and thieves for plunder, slily 
ignite them. 

January 20. — I saw a great deal of this pretty town ; if it had 
the castle and the ancient buildino-s of Edinburoli it w^ould resem- 
ble that city, the Powhatan River taking the place of the Forth. 

M]-s. J took us across the valley to sketch towards the east, and 

I made a drawing of the locality round Washington's monument, 
the various steeples, towers, &c., with the Capitol, a pleasing Gre- 
cian building, capping and overlooking the city, ar.d the surrounding- 
country. Under the centre of the dome, inside that building, I saw 
the best statue of Washington in the whole Union, by Houdier : it 
is said to be a good likeness, and, as a work of art, it is most inter- 
esting. I could not have believed that the stiff costume of that time 
could have been so idealized. The General stands in an easy atti- 
tude, leaning upon a bunch of fascines — the very buttons on his 
coat, and the high top-boots, (fee. &c., are all indicated, and yet there 
is no lack of grace, no appearance of formality, in this very fine 
statue. Strange to say, an air of neglect and dilapidation is visible 
all round it ; the interior of the building is sadly out of repair ; the 
doors want paint, and all is dirty and quite unw'orthy of the best 
public building in the State of Virginia, the House of Legislature 
and of business. Perhaps a few years will dissipate financial diffi- 
culties, which have been brought on by an extravagant raihvay 
expenditure ; it will, probably, repay the citizens in due time, and 
then they may be enabled to wipe off the disgrace of shabbiness 
w^hich at present hangs over their proceedings. 

Mrs. G called for a handsome agreeable lady, who accom- 
panied us during the rest of our drive. They took me to the Ceme- 
tery, beautifully situated, and from thence I made a general sketch 
of Richmond, with its crowning Capitol, Powhatan River (undigni- 
fied by the modern name of James), and a foreground of better 



CHARLOTTESVILLE. 185 

trees than I had yet seen in America. In this place are many 
pretty hollies, with red berries like ours, but with leaves opaque 
instead of shining ; and before going home we called at a nursery- 
ground, where there was nothing new to me, excepting a shrub 
which, though now leafless, has bunches of small lilac berries. The 
gentleman did not know what country it came from, or the tribe to 
which it belongs. Indeed, he told me, so little interest is shown for 
flowers in this part of the world, that since he came here from Scot- 
land, he has rather lost than gained in botanical and floral acquire- 
ment. I declined an invitation to dine at three o'clock; such early 
hours at this time of year shorten the already shortened days. After 
returning to the hotel for the purpose of writing to Washington, I 
made my way alone across the river by a very long wooden bridge. 
On the other side I passed voluminous houses, which I was told 
were flour and cotton mills ; beyond them the view of Richmond 
was fine. A brilliant sunset reminded me that there is little twilight 
here, and so I feared that I should hardly find my way in the dark 

to Mi's. G 's, where tea awaited me. After some wanderings I 

reached her house before a very young moon had disappeared, and 

from thence I joined a small party at Mrs. M 's. 

January 21. — Our cars left Richmond at seven this morning, 
and the sun rose so red that I fear he promises rain. We reached 
Charlottesville soon after twelve, and passed through a very pretty 
country, which requires nothing but animal life and industry to 
make it charming. The absence of fencing to the railroads at once 
speaks of scanty flocks and herds ; for, if these were not few and far 
between, the owners would insist upon precautionary measures. As 
it is, cows and sheep are occasionally killed by the trains ; but when 
not more than fifty beasts can be seen in as many miles, the risk is 
not great. To-day we passed along a rolling''' district, aftbrding 
every promise of a grateful return to energetic and industrious cul- 
tivation. Yet I saw ploughs worked by a single horse, which did 
little more than scratch the surface, and a rich soil beneath was 

* The common expression in America for an undulating country. 
9^ 



186 ROAD TO STAUNTON. 

only bronglit to light by the course of the railroad. Passing rapidly 
along, I observed much iron sand, excellent slate, volcanic rocks, 
gneiss, greenstone, quartz, plenty of water, a natural growth of oak 
and chestnut, and I have little doubt but that mineral riches are 
below. An English farmer who could bring free labour with him 
here might quickly make his fortune. The sh^ve servants look gen- 
erally well clothed, merry, and content ; but of farm labour they 
have evidently but small knowledge ; and a general population, 
either white or black, seems scanty. Upon arriving at the small 
town of Charlottesville, I was sorry to find that Mr. Stevenson, the 
former Minister to England, was absent from his house, a few miles 
distant. At the University, however, I was most kindly welcomed 
by the Professor and Mis. Minor ; he and Professor Maupin showed 
me the buildings, and an extensive view from the roof of the dome. 
This educational establishment was founded by Jefferson. It is 
ruled by nine trustees, who are newly appointed every four years by 
the incoming President of the United States ; and it has this pecu- 
liarity — that the governing head of the institution is changed every 
two years. There is no professor of Natural History in any of its 
branches, and no teacher of Chemistry, either agricultural or medi- 
cal ; so that one cannot much wonder that ignorance respecting the 
soils and the mineral riches of this State should be evident, even to 
an unpractised eye. AVe slept at a clean and reasonable hotel ; I 
w^alked up in a heavy shower of rain, through red mud (much like 
that of Torquay in Devonshire), to the college, for the purpose of 
taking leave, and got into the cars by twelve o'clock. After about 
fifty miles' journey, passing over mountains consisting of gneiss, 
greenstone, slaty rocks, and limestone, we reached Staunton by a 
wonderful line of road : the last part was engineered up, and 
ploughed like a deep furrow along the side of a mountain, to the 
very summit, and then down again to the plain below. The mak- 
ing of this line was ordered and superintended by the same German 
engineer who planned and is erecting the suspension bridge from 
one shore of Niagara to the other, with a passage for railroad cars 
above the carriage road. From what I saw to-day, my faith in 



LEXINGTON, ISY 

the success of that bridge is almost undoubtiiig'. We find the Vir- 
ginian Hotel here comfortable, and the country we came through 
to-day must be very picturesque ; but rain and fog prevented our 
seeing more than half a mile from the cars. Staunton is rather a 
pretty town : as we entered, I saw a handsome building for an asy- 
lum for the blind, and I was told there are several other large char- 
itable establishments. 

January 22. — Violent rain, storm, and wind during the night. 
We got up to proceed by the mail stage, which started at five o'clock, 
more punctually than is usual in America ; and the bills here and 
at Charlottesville were fair and reasonable — not a third of what we 
have paid elsewhere. The charges have varied from two dollars to 
eight dollars a day ; they are never more reasonable than in some 
parts of England, sometimes dearer than the hotels of London and 
Paris. With four horses, and only four persons in the coach, we 
did not reach Lexington till after one o'clock. At first, the master 
of the tavern made some difiiculty about procuring us a carriage to 
go on seventeen miles to the Natural Bridge ; but after a little demur, 
we got one so as to start by half-past two. Lexington is a small 
town, not very picturesque in itself, but standing in a plain with fine 
mountains all round at a few miles' distance — the nearest, a flat-top- 
ped massive-looking hill, is called by people here " The House." 
There are no Lidians in all this part of the country, and even their 
beautiful names have been forgotten, and have given place to such 
Cockney appellations as James River, Louisa Court, Charlottesville, 
&c. (fee. There are many signs of hard frost on the road, which was 
tolerable as far as Buchanan ; planks were laid for that distance. 
When we turned off" into the valley, about four miles from the rocky 
bridge, our carriage was much tried ; the horses floundered along the 
brink of a precipice, our driver calling to us to throw our weight 
now upon one side, now on the other, to keep a balance. At one 
time within half a foot of deep water, where, in case of being over- 
turned, we must have been drowned, if we had escaped being 
smashed in the fall ; at another, with a descent of three hundred feet, 
without the smallest guard upon our right. But our Irish coach- 



188 THE NATURAL BUIDGE. 

inan was civil and expert ; Le assured rae lie Avould not have any- 
thing liappen to lis for fifty dollars, and happily, both traces breaking 
within a mile and a half of our destination, I scrambled out of the 

vehicle, rejoiced to find my feet once more, leaving E to take 

care of the vehicle, while the driver went back to pick up the scat- 
tered boxes. I made my way on, with the help of a bright young 
moon, to the first little hotel (there is another, near the Bridge). It 
was a rough place ; but I was hospitably received, and the master's 
son, Avith a negro servant, set oif to aid and guide the carriage 
through a track which had appeared to me in some places wholly 
impracticable for anything on v>^heels. However, fortunately, it was 

too dark for R to see danger, and the three men guided her on 

safely in about two hours, much to the relief of my mind. No other 
catastrophe occurred, excepting that some of my boxes, which had 
been shaken o&, were considerably mauled, and I hardly felt this as 
a misfortune, in consideration of our own safety. The good people 
did their best to feed and warm us, but as their house is little pre- 
pared for winter visitors, and this night a frost occurred, seldom 
known in Virginia — in spite of a blazing wood fire, and a blanket 
hung up over our door, the water in the jugs and basins was frozen 
before daylight. However, I was glad to find that by rising very early 
there would be time to see and sketch the wonderful Natural Bridge, 
and to reach the canal, two miles' distance, by ten o'clock. Most 
fortunately, the steamboat goes down to-morrow, otherwise we might 
have been detained till Thursday in Lynchburg. 

January 24. — After all that has been said in praise of the 
Natural Bridge, I was not disappointed : the chasm over which it 
passes is narrower at the bottom than at the top : beginning at fifty 
feet, it gradually widens to near a hundred, and is about two hun- 
dred and ninety feet in height, while the way over the top may be 
about twenty or thirty in width, guarded by natural walls of rock, 
and covered by five feet of soil, made firm and bound together by 
trees and shrubbery. The small stream it crosses is called Cedar 
Creek, which, like all the rivers of this district, is as turbid and as 
muddy-looking as the Ouse, in Bedfordshire. The rich soils of these 



SCENERY ON THE POWHATAN. 189 

lands are borne down by all these waters, to fertilize neglected or 
worn-out farms in distant places. Looking at tins bridge from a 
short distance, it has a magnificent appearance, and no one would 
guess Nature to have been her own architect. The arch is finely 
formed : over its centre the rock is chiselled into the aj^pearance of 
a deep-set window, and on one side it seems as if supported by a 
gigantic buttress, backed by mountains and set in a framework of 
verdure. Summer must render this bridge still more beautiful ; but 
its grandeur can even now be well appreciated. I engaged our 
driver and carriage of last evening to take us to the place where the 
Lynchburg steamer calls — most fortunately — for no conveyance large 
enough for luggage could now have been hired. Fine mountainous 
and glorious forest views extend the whole way down the Powhatan. 
I was reminded of some parts of Germany ; but the scenery of this 
river far exceeds that of the Rhine, though the water has not equal 
clearness or volume, and these mountains are not ornamented by 
ruined castles. Of the Rocky Bridge I have often heard ; but nei- 
ther books nor travellers, familiar to me, have spoken of these forty 
miles of scenery passed through by a canal, which sometimes travels 
by one shore, then takes to the river, and once crosses over it to ihe 
other side. We passed at least twenty locks, going easily and plea- 
santly ; our speed averaged about four miles an hour — quite fast 
enough, for I had time to sketch and to enjoy the beautiful 
scenery, instead of being steamed along too rapidly for either plea- 
sure. A warm sun befriended us, and, though the air was rather 
cold, it was clear and still, so that with an occasional visit to the 
cabin to warm my hands, I was able to sit all day on deck ; and 
this passage proved one of the most agreeable and least tedious of 
all I have had, though it occupied nine hours. Some of the valleys 
traversing this mountain region are suspected to be rich in minerals 
and precious stones, which is very probable. From signs I observed 
on the blue ridge which we mounted by the railroad, greenstone 
passes into limestone; mica, slate, and granite frequently appear, 
though I am not enough of a geologist to be able to mark and 
describe their exact locations. Beautifully white gypsum was placed 



190 LINKS CANAL-BOAT. 

in heaps by the river-side where we first embarked on board the 
canal boat, but no one could tell me from whence ; I saw star-look- 
ing dark spots, as large as a shilling, in one mass, having almost the 
appearance of fossils, though I conclude they must have been some 
modification of talc. There was no time to get any knocked off; 
and, as people here consider attention to stones or flowers a veiy 
chiklish proceeding, it is difficult to gain their attention to such ob- 
jects. About half-way down the river there is a large manufactory 
of cement made from a limestone which contains iron and aluminous 
matter. This is burned, then powdered, and put into barrels, which 
are sold for one dollar each. This is not the sole manufactory : 
there are other localities in the State of New York where it is made 
— towards the north, I suppose. This is the most firm and durable 
thing known for cementing stones together: it seems to become 
part and parcel of their very substance. An obliging gentleman on 
board procured me a specimen of the limestone in its natural state, 
and also before it is ground after burning. 

Daylight had quite faded away before we landed here ; the cap- 
tain provided us with such an excellent dinner of turkey, roast beef, 
and cranberiy tart, with common potatoes, sweet potatoes, fine celery, 
and glasses of sweet milk, that we were in no starving condition ; 
and I recommend the Links canal-boat as one of the most pleasur- 
able conveyances I ever entered, though it has no gorgeous saloon 
or even railed deck. The black cook, seeing me draw, came to beg 
' missus would make his picture for his ole w'lfe^ which undertaking 
was accomplished to our mutual content, Darky having evidently no 
vanity to wound. I cannot ahvays tell whether these black servants 
are free or slaves — probably the latter. They are merry, good- 
natured, and easy in their manner ; famihar, but in a much pleasanter 
way than the helps of the Northern States, who mistake an imper- 
tinent manner for republicanism, and speak as if they thought them- 
selves injured by serving you. 

On my arrival at this, the ' Noble Hotel,' a black chambermaid 
took charge of us, and, though the bed-room felt warm, she insisted 
on lighting a fire, for fear ' missus should be cold.' ' Pray, missu=, 



PETERSBURG. 191 

have fire; don't think of trouble, missus — don't mind trouble.' 
Some of these blacks are officiously anxious to oblige, and this with- 
out any motive of interest, as far as I can judge. We leave this 
place at half-past nine for Petersburg ; stay there to-night, and next 
day go to Wilmington by steamboat, I believe, and then to Charles- 
ton on Friday or Saturday, I hope. 

Petersburg. Wednesdmj Evening. — We left Lynchburg at nine 
this morning. As far as I can judge, it is a pretty place, and the 
views nearly all the way upon the railroad are .fine. The country, 
Devonian in rocks and scenery ; I could have fancied myself near 
Haldon Hill, it is so like the neighbourhood of Exeter, part of the 
way : the soil as red and the land equally rich-looking, but certainly 
not as well cultivated, or rendered as productive by good farming. 
At Petersburg we crossed the Appomattox river, which falls into 
the Powhatan twelve miles below that place. Petersburg is evi- 
dently a growing town. I suppose the numerous railroads which 
now traverse Virginia will quickly stir up the inhabitants, and make 
them aware that their State, as it is one of the most beautiful, has 
also capabilities which might render it the most rich and thriving. 
We came over the highest viaduct I ever crossed, one hundred and 
eighty feet ! I was so terrified that I could not look out for giddi- 
ness: it is built on piles; the engineer who planned it and the 
bridges over the Powhatan at Lynchburg, was in the cars, and as- 
sured us of safety ; but it was difficult to feel at ease during the 
transit. We reached this place before five, and I intend to leave it 
by the train at three o'clock to-morrow morning, for Wilmington. 

Thursday, January 25. — We reached Wilmington by eight 
o'clock this evening, one hundred and sixty miles, nearly all the way 
through pine barrens, which are not barren of turpentine and tar ; 
these products are extracted from the pitch pines. There are many 
large manufactories to procure them ; the trees have the bark taken 
off about ten feet up on one side, and vessels are placed to catch the 
turpentine. When this is exhausted, the trees are cut down, sawed 
into lengths, and placed in circles, with a fire in the centre, much in 
the way charcoal is made; but as the tar comes out it is made to 



192 ilR. GUSHING ON THE WAR. 

run into pipes, and the wood when exhausted is covered over, and 
becomes charcoal. From Petersburg, the whole country consists of 
poor sands and clay, like part of Hampshire and the adjoining bit of 
Dorset. The sand during the greater part of the way is as white as 
that around Bournemouth. Not far from a place called Golds- 
borough, a colony of Irish appear to be comfortably settling them- 
selves ; what they cultivate I cannot judge, passing rapidl}^, at this 
time of year ; they seemed healthy and well clothed ; and I observed 
pigs of all ages, and several cows. It was a pleasant sight to see 
these poor people making the wilderness a springing well, and the 
barren land rich. I should like to bring all the 'Know-nothings' of 
the country to look at them. I am told this faction abounds in the 
South; it is evident there are men guiding this movement who 
ought to know better ; but some are making political profit of the 
ignorance and mistaken patriotism of their weaker neighbours, and 
hope to attain power by such means. I am sorry to find a consider- 
able party in the United States advocate openly the principle of 
' doing evil that good may come,' as regards their own country ; and 
Mr. Gushing, the Attorney-General of the States, informed me with- 
out circumlocution, speaking of the European war, that the Turks 
being effete, and a sea-board being necessary for the Russians, it was 
perfectly right and proper that the latter should devour the former. 
If it be possible for republicans to be in the pay of despotism, I 
should imagine this gentleman must be one of the favoured emissa- 
ries of the Emperor Nicholas. After passing through the rich, ill- 
cultivated Highlands of Virginia, it is curious to observe how much 
more is compai-atively drawn from the unthankful soil we passed 
through to-day ; half this care and industry bestowed upon the 
former would be returned tenfold. I observed some few Rhodo- 
dendrons and Kaimias upon the blue ridge, as we descended by that 
wonderful railroad ; and for fifty miles, as we approached this place, 
the undergrowth was rich in all those showy evergreens we call 
American. On the trees I saw bunches of an Epiphyte, growing 
like our mistletoe, and the long hair-like lichen, or parasitical plant, 
I have so often heard described as clothinir the woods in the South ; 



BLACK SERVANTS. 193 

it covered and hung- round many trees I saw in a swamp this after- 
noon. I am much amused with the ' Blackies,' who act as chamber- 
maids everywhere now ; they quite take possession of us, remain in 
the room sans ceremonie, and are officious and curious beyond behef. 
One watched me drawing to-night with great astonishment; she 
said she had ' never seen anyone do that before; how can you 
make marks that look like places ? You must have a clever head ! ' 
I begged for snufters, a tallow candle having a long nose. ' Oh, I 
does that with my fingers ; but I'll find you an old pair of scissors.' 
When we asked for some warm water, she thought the request very 
extraordinary, and burst into a hoarse laugh. They certainly are 
very unlike the white race ; but everybody seems good-natured to 
them : they come into the cars and sit where they please. I see 
none of the white exclusiveness I had been taught to expect. 

Yours affectionately, 

A. M. M. 



s^ o-^r-^o r"^ ^-.o c'^ Q- ^ Q,.^^ -^- ^ Q^^ o- ^ ^o 
^^ -^..o :-'^ ^-"...c c;^ ^^o no o-^ ^..o c?-^ oo oo 



LETTER XYII. 



Chakleston, January 7, 1S55. 

My DEAR Friends, — 

The post for England went off to-day unexpectedly ; T had 
only a few minutes warning, and no time to look at my letter, so 
that I forget whether I wrote last from Petersburg ; but as we 
reached Wilmington too late at night, and started too early to see 
anything of that place, I could not have said much about it. White 
sand and pine barrens made up the whole two hundred and sixty 
miles of yesterday's journey. It required twenty-two hours' railroad 
to accomplish that distance. Almost all the pitch pines are dis- 
figured, and most probably will be killed, by the bark being stripped 
off, that the turpentine may drip from it into a small vessel placed 
on the ground. The forest looks as if it was planted with white 
posts ; but this is occasionally relieved by thickets of Rhododen- 
dron, Kalmia, and Pbyllerea, which must be splendid when flower- 
ing, in May ; and about sixty miles from this place the pitch 
is superseded by the Pinus palustris. It is pretty to see the long 
tassel-like looking leaves streaming in the wind; but it makes a very 
transparent looking forest, as the branches grow wide apart, and the 
bunches of foliage are also distant from each other. I begin to 
mark cotton plantations, and my compassionate feelings are rapidly 
changing sides. It appears to me our benevolent intentions in Eng- 



'uncle tom's cabin.' 195 

land have taken a mistaken direction, and that we should bestow 
our compassion on the masters instead of an the slaves. The 
former by no means enjoy the incubus with which circumstances 
have loaded them, and would be only too happy if they could super- 
sede this black labour by white ; but as to the negroes, they are the 
merriest, most contented set of people I ever saw ; of course there 
are exceptions, but I am inclined to suspect that we have as much 
vice, and more suffering, than is caused here by the unfortunate 
institution of Slavery ; and I very much doubt if freedom will ever 
make the black population, in the mass, anything more than a set 
of grown-up children. Even as to the matter of purchase and sale, 
it is disliked by masters ; and I find compassion very much wasted 
upon the objects of it. An old lady died here lately, and her 

negroes were to be parted with ; Mrs. S , an acquaintance of 

mine, knew these blacks, and shed tears about their change of fate ; 
but when they came to market, and she found all so gay and iudiflfer- 
ent about it, she could not help feeling her sorrow was greatly thrown 
away. Mrs. Stowe's Topsy is a perfect illustration of Darkie's 
character, and many of the sad histories of wiiich her book is made 
up may be true as isolated facts; but yet 1 feel- sure that, as a whole, 
the story, however ingeniously worked up, is an unfair picture; a 
libel upon the slaveholders as a body. I very much doubt if a real 
Uncle Tom can often be found in the whole negro race ; and if 
such a being is, or was, he is as great a rarity as a Shakspeare among 
whites. One particular want appears to me evident in negro minds 
and character : they have no consciousness of the fitness of things. 
I suffer now from the cold wintry weather here; and upon ray 
begging Blackie for a better fire in my room, in the civilest, most 
anxious tone, he asked whether I would not like some iced water ? 
(Knowing this to be a luxury in hot weather, he would never con- 
sider that it might be less acceptable in cold.) We have lately had 
black chambermaids in all hotels. They are perfectly good-natured, 
and officiously anxious to help us in all matters in which their assist- 
ance is not required. ' Let I do this. Missus,' and ' Let I do that,' 
when perhaps it is hard to induce them to do what is really wanted 



196 DARKIES AS NURSES. 

— to light the fire when we are cold, or to bring a little warm water 
when clean hands would he a luxur3^ They fairly take possession 
of us, and unless we lock them out, they stand to watch our pro- 
ceedings, and curiously to inspect our things. ' Adeline,' at Lynch- 
burg, saw my sketch of the black cook on board the Links canal 
boat, at which she burst into a loud laugh, and exclaimed, ' He very 
like a monkey, missus — we very like monkies.' And she appeared 
delighted with her own wit — not at all hurt by the idea. A pretty 
Southern lady arrived at the hotel, with a fair infant in the arms of 
his black nurse. I came out from the tea-room rather sooner than 
was expected, and found all the Darkies that could get away as- 
sembled round the tiny massa (they are very fond of children, and 
make capital iiurses — tender, watchful, playful, and yet, I think, 
firm ; but they are firm only with children), jumping and screaming 
their delight. Upon seeing me an elderly man came forward, with 
a grin and a bow — ' The black population are only enjoying them- 
selves, missus.' I said I was glad they were happy, and left tliem to 
their happiness. At one of the railroad stations I watched a young 
and intelligent-looking black man, considerably beyond boyhood, 
perseveringly keeping up a kind of Highland trot over a number of 
small pitch barrels with all the zest of a white child from four to six 
years of age. I begin to doubt whether they ever grow mentally 
after twenty. They are precocious children, being so imitative ; 
they soon ripen, come to a standstill, and advance no farther. In this 
respect Uncle Tom is a myth, but Topsy a reality. I mean to go 
and see a sale of slaves ; my wish is to judge the subject fairly in 
all its bearings, and this I may be trusted to do even by Abolition- 
ists ; for early prejudices and my national and acquired feelings are 
certainly opposed to slaver}^ ; but if countenances are ' a history as 
well as a prophecy,' the national expression of faces in the North as 
contrasted with those of the South tell a strange, and to me an un- 
expected story, as regards the greatest happiness principle of the 
greatest number ! Of course, it must be borne in mind that no rules 
are without exception ; but, oh, the haggard, anxious, melancholy) 
restless, sickly, hopeless faces I have seen in the Northern States — 



EARLY SELF-RELIANCE. 19*7 

in the rail-cars, on the steamboats, in the saloons, and particularly 
in the ladies' parlour. There is beauty of feature and complexion, 
with hardly any individuality of character. Nothing like simplicity, 
even among children after ten years of age — hot-house, forced im- 
petuous beings, the almighty dollars, the incentive and only guide 
to activity and appreciation. Women care that their husbands 
should gain gold, that they may spend it in dress and ostenta- 
tion ; and the men like that their wives should appear as queens, 
whether they rule well, or ill, or at all ; yet it is certain that I have 
made the acquaintance, and that I value the friendship, of superior 
women in the North, and if I should be thought to have expressed 
myself with too much severity, I appeal to their candour and judg- 
ment ; and being American cousins they have the Anglo-Scixon love 
of Truth, and will not spurn her even in an unveiled form, or re- 
ceive her ungraciously even when thus presented. I have reason to 
speak gratefully, and warmly do I feel, and anxiously do I venture 
these observations, which may seem even harsh and ungrateful. I 
do not yet know much of the Southern ladies ; but from Washing- 
ton to this place I have been struck by a general improvement of 
countenance and manner in the white race, and this in spite of the 
horrors which accompany the misuse of tobacco. If the gentlemen 
of this part of the country would only acquire habits of self-control 
and decency in this matter, they would indeed become the Preux 
Chevaliers of the United States, as their hills and valleys may prove 
the store-houses and gardens of the Union. May their sons and 
daughters look to these things, and increase in Avealth, prosperity, 
virtue, and happiness ! 

In the railroad-cars the day before yesterday, when asking for 
information as to the name of a place, a youth sitting near offered 
to go and find it out for me ; he had the air of a ruddy, healthy- 
looking Englishman, and I was struck by the frank, ingenuous 
manner with which he came forward : he stood by my seat, and 
afterwards conversed freely, yet without conceit or forwardness. [ 
elicited that his parents are Bavarian, residing at no great distance 
from Munich ; that at sixteen he came out to this country alone, as 



198 CHARLESTON. 

a traveller, in some business ; that he loves his own people and his 
friends, and hopes, some day, to revisit them ; but that it is probable 
the duties of his calling will detain him in America for years. I 
would stake my existence upon the honour and integrity of that boy ; 
he will prove a fine example of the advantages of early collision and 
of self reliance. I have heard the Lord's Prayer quoted as an argu- 
ment for keeping boys out of the indurating process of early tempta- 
tion. I cannot think that the words alluded to have any other sense 
than of an individual petition for strength to overcome. Every boy 
wrapped in what the canny Scotch wife calls the ' blue blanket,' 
may not prove vicious, but most of them 'sow their wild oats' be- 
tween eighteen and twenty-five, instead of some years earlier ; and 
those who do not, in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred become weak 
and undecided characters. It must be remembered that weakness 
comes nigh to wickedness, though it may not be (as the old proverb 
has it) worse than wickedness. The Professors at the Virginian 
University tell me they regret that Jefferson (its founder) placed it 
away from a town. I asked what their experience led them to think 
of home education for young men, and received the same answer as 
I have already from experienced heads of houses at Oxford and Cam- 
bridge : that all the care of a virtuous home will not make up for 
the life-training of the world, best given at an age when the tempta- 
tions of vice have less strength, and its ugliness is more apparent 
than it will be some years later. I consider this subject as one of 
such overwhelming importance to the Christian and moral welfare 
of those concerned, that no scruples, either of affection or interest, 
shall induce me to conceal these opinions, or mask my own 
convictions. 

Charleston, January 29. — A cold day yesterday, and wet all 
this morning. I have only made acquaintance with some friends of 

Mr. and Mrs. R . They took me last night to what I should 

not have seen of my own accord in America, Waugh's Italia re- 
moved ; it consists of beautiful panoramic views of all the finest 
sights and views in Italy. I never met with anything superior of 
the kind, and I hope they may some day be taken to England. This 



THE TILLANDSIA USNOIDES. 199 

hotel is very good ; much better ordered than Willard's, at Wash- 
ington ; or even than the St. Nicholas, at New York, in point of real 
comfort, although less gorgeously furnished than the latter. Of this 
city I have as yet seen nothing ; but the streets and houses appear 
to be clean and well kept. Last night I heard parties of darkies 
singing, as they passed the windows, those negro melodies the airs 
of which have become familiar in England. Music, nursing, wash- 
ing, and cooking are their peculiar talents, and cheerfulness their 
special virtue. After dinner to-day I had the first good orange I 
have tasted since I came South. It has surprised me to find that 
fruit is more scarce and dearer in Virginia and Carohna than with 
us. I am not to see orange trees till I reach Florida ; and through- 
out the United States their fruit is much less plentiful than in 
England — perhaps at New Orleans I may find it otherwise. Sweet 
potatoes and turtle are both frequent at the dinner-table of this hotel. 
This evening one of my pleasant Washington acquaintances, Mr. 

P , came to see me, and we are to go together to-morrow, to call 

on Mrs. H . It has poured all the morning, so I have not been 

out. 

This is a fine day ; several ladies and gentlemen of this place 

called on me, and I received Mr. and Mrs. H , who forestalled 

my intention, by coming to me. Professor and Mrs. Gibbs took me 
to make a sketch of the Ettewan and Yemassee Rivers from the Bat- 
tery, at White Point. There I saw the first palmetto I have yet met 
with in the open air ; and, on my return to the hotel, a gentleman 
told me the Isabel steamer had just brought a cargo of oranges from 
Cuba. In one garden this morning I saw a standard orange-tree, 
with some fruit upon it, but it was supposed not to be sweet ; and 
since that I have found several of the same, bearing only what we 
should call Seville oranges. The timber-trees of Magnolia grandi- 
flora all about this place are fine, and must be beautiful in summer, 
but this severe winter renders vegetation very backward ; and I see 
some of the live oaks (Quercus virens) rather cut by the cold. The 
Tillandsia usnoides (called everywhere here by the name of hanging 
moss), having the appearance, at a little distance, of our hair-like 



200 BOTANIZING. 

lichens, dresses most of the trees, but especially the live oak, with its 
graceful pendulous bunches, sometimes hanging a yard and a half 
long ; the stem is not larger than a thread, set with small, rounded, 
frosted Avhite leaves ; the little sweet-scented, reddish, purplish flowers 
come out at the end of the rope-like stems which swing about in the 
breeze. They steep this Tillandsia in water, and use its black, hair- 
like fibres for stuffing mattresses and pillows ; the seeds being light, 
are carried about by the wind, and stick and fructify in all the trees 
around ; yet it seems difiicult to cultivate, for I have never seen it in 
our English Epiphyte houses. The temperature of any greenhouse 
would suit its constitution, but I imagine it requires to be blown 
about ; and a still atmosphere is probably uncongenial to the habits 
of this pretty waving plant. I have seen a live oak as large as any 
of our British oaks, having upon it as many tufts of Tillandsia as 
leaves ; it does not appear to be injurious hke the mistletoe, but adds 
to the beauty of its adopted parent without shortening the life of 
whatever sustaining tree may support it. I drank tea at Mrs. 
R 's, and spent a pleasant evening with Mr. and Mrs. H . 

January 30. — Professor and Mrs. Gibbs called for me at eleven 
in the morning, and we had a delightful day in the open air, bota- 
nizing, &c. I>r. Gibbs knew every plant and seed. For the first 
time I found yarras and cactuses in the hedge-rows ; ferns, such as 
Polypodium incanum, plentifully on ancient live oaks, Asplenium 
ebeneum, and Botrychium Virginianum, in an English looking lane; 
the beautiful little Houstonia serpyllifolia, and Mitchella repens, with 
scarlet twin berries ; Prunus Caroliniaria ; and the Jasmine-coloured 
Gelsemium sempervirens twining up it, and through the hedges of 
Ilex cassine. I often feel in this country as if I had been removed 
to a new heavens and a r.ew earth, and as if my enjoyments now are 
a foretaste of worlds where space and time will open out fresh de- 
lights, in a fuller comprehension of the mighty Creator and his 
mighty works. 

At a pretty spot called Gibbs' Farm, belonging to some part of 
the Professor's family, we passed great part of the morning ; in a 
small garden belonging to it, I ^gathered bundles of that beautiful 



MAGNOLIA CEMETERY. 201 

paper Narcissus, so rare in England, and I knocked down what is 
here called a sour orange {cdlas bitter) from a fine bush thirty feet 
high. Then after making a sketch of that picturesque homestead, 
with its venerable oaks, the Tillandsia, imitating the white beard and 
silvery locks of age, Mrs. Gibbs placed at my feet a basket filled with 
oranges and bananas from Cuba, for lunch, and I made these a fore- 
ground for my drawing. We again got into the carriage and made 
our progress to Magnolia Cemetery. Owing to the usual reckless- 
ness of American habits, we had to cross a railroad which runs for 
some way along the side of the road ; we had hardly passed over it 
a moment, when the train rushed by ; there is not even a slight 
fence to divide the iron from the common track, and they say horses 
get used to the cars, and men to the necessary caution, so that after 
a little practice, few accidents occur ; of course, cows and oxen and 
sheep are smashed now and then, but the Company pays, and that 
is all. I never cross these roads without a sensation of terror. Mas:- 
nolia Cemetery is pretty ; it has a chapel built like a country church 
in England ; in style, simple perpendicular Gothic, with a light and 
elegant spire. The grounds are ornamented by a creek, which makes 
its way up from the Ettewan River, and its waters, even here, are rather 
salt. I sketched the entrance and chapel, and then a fine live oak, 
with Charleton and the Accabee River uniting itself to the ocean in 
the distance ; a foreground of tombs, which are here w^ell chosen in 
point of taste, and without those white boundary posts which I have 
mentioned as disfiguring Greenwood, Hamilton, and some of the 
other burying-grounds in Canada and the United States, which are 
otherwise so far in advance of the mother country in sentiment and 
beauty. Republicanism forgets itself in the concerns of the grave and 
of immortality. Strange that when all are really supposed equal, 
love and truth banishes the equality which is emblematical of pride, 
and cultivates only the freedom of virtue ! There is more love of 
nature evinced in the cemeteries of America, than in the arrange- 
ments for the living : life is the myth, eternity the reality of existence ; 
beautiful flowers are cultivated for the dead ; taste is pure, and feel- 
ing uncontaminated by dollars and cents. The monuments, tombs, 
10 



202 BELMONT. 

and inscriptions are generally pathetic and interesting-, free from the 
bombast and posthumous flatter}^ too common in England. As the 
families are together in these last homes, usually the surname marks 
each entrance gate ; within, one often sees a marble urn, or slab, 
marked with little more than 'our brother,' ' a dearly loved sister,' 
' my wife,' ' little Addy,' ' our kind parents,' ' two precious babes,' 
(fee. &c. These simple words attract the sympathy of strangers and 
awaken the tenderness of friends far more than eulogies. I never 
walk through these cemeteries without a sensation of pleasure derived 
from the consciousness of Christian brotherhood, rather than of sor- 
row from that of our common fate. Here I realize more that we shall 
all be made alive again, than that we shall all die. Till sunset we 
remained out; there was little temptation to return home for dinner; 
I was most willing to exchange it for tea ; and afterwards my plea- 
sant Washington friend called and took me to a little dancing party, 
at the house of one of his married daughters, where I saw young la- 
dies more natural, and more gracefully and simply attired, than in 
the Northern States; both the tone of voice and the clioice of words 
and pronunciation are much more like old England as one proceeds 
further south ; the habits simpler and more unostentatious, and the 
dress of every-day wear is suitable and gentlewoman like, instead of 
being, as in the North, unbecoming, stiff, and extravagant ; the 
young women plastering their hair, and wearing silks fit for their 
grandmothers, and the middle aged spending hours in repairing the 
ravages of time, by studious artificial contrivances, which, after all, 
make themselves evident to the most superficial observers. 

January 31. — I spent a delightful day with Mrs. H , who 

took me out to her cottage, four miles' distant ; there w^e provision- 
ally planted the ferns and other , treasures I took up on Tuesday. 
She will let them grow there until I am ready to receive them at 
Boston, next September, to be planted in my Ward's case. Belmont 
is a charming spot ; it is (like the Southern ladies) not over dressed ; 
it has the Ettewan on one side, and the forest on the other; slaves 
who are adopted children, and Irish labourers who have adopted a 
master and mistress. I begged to go into a negro cottage in the 



OBSERVATIONS ON SLAVERY, 203 

wood ; the parents were out, and we found only a covey of tiny 
* darkies,' from two years to eight — ' very like monkeys,' as Adeline 
would have said. The negro race never sit down to a meal if they 
can possibly avoid doing so ; they have always some sticks burning, 
and a kind of^^o^ au feu ; in one corner of the tolerably comforta- 
ble abode was a fishing net, and another net held an oinnium gathe- 
rum of eatables ; no great attention to cleanliness, but the appear- 
ance of everything out of doors was like that of a small farm in 
England — cows, chickens, (fee, &c. I begin to think we anti-slavers 
and abolitionists are as much blinded by names as the republicans, 
who think they have shaken off an aristocracy, because they have 
got rid of dukes and duchesses, and lords and ladies. I must extract 
some observations from a work published here, which my short expe- 
rience of a slave countryinduces me unhesitatingly to adoptas my own.*" 
' Slavery may not be the best system of labour, but it is the best 
for the negro in this country. If it be true of the English soldier or 
sailor, that his condition has been ameliorated in the last fifty years, 
it is quite as true of the negro. Slavery is that system of labour 
which exchanges subsistence for work, which secures a life mainte- 
nance from the master to the slave, and gives a life labour from the 
slave to the master. Slavery is the negro system of labour : he is 
lazy and improvident ; slavery makes him work, and ensures him a 
home, food, and clothing; it provides for sickness, infancy, and old 
age ; allows no tramping or skulking, and knows no pauperism. All 
cruelty is an abuse ; does not belong to the institution ; is contrary 
to law ; may be punished, prevented, and removed. If slavery is 
subject to abuses, it has its compensations also ; it establishes per- 
manent, and therefore kind, relations between labour and capital. It 
does away with what Stuart Mill calls ' the widening and embitter- 
ing feud between labour and capital' It draws close the relation 
between master and servant; it is not an engagement for days, 
weeks, but for hfe. The most wretched feature in hireling labour is 
the isolated, miserable creature who has no home, no work, no food, 
and in whom no one is particularly interested. Slavery does for 
the negro what European schemers in vain attempt to do for the 



204 OBSERVATIONS ON SLAVERY. 

hireling;. On every plantation the master is a poor-law commissioner, 
to provide food, clothing, medicine, houses, for his people. He is a 
police officer to prevent idleness, drunkenness, theft, or disorder ; there 
is therefore no starvation among slaves, and comparatively few crimes. 
The poet tells us there are worse things in the world than hard 
labour ; ' withouten that would come a heavier bale ; ' and so there 
are worse things for the negro than slavery in a Christian land. Arch- 
bishop Hughes, in his visit to Cuba, asked Africans if they wished 
to return to their native country ; the answer was always, JVo. If 
the negro is happier here than in his own land, can we say that 
slavery is an evil to him ? Slaves and masters do not quarrel with 
their circumstances ; is it not hard that the stranger should interfere 
to make both discontented ? 

' All Christians believe that the aftairs of this world are directed 
by God for wise and good purposes. The arrival of the negro in 
America makes no exception to that rule — his transportation was a 
rude method of emigration, the only practicable one in his case. 
Until this operation was interfered with and made piratical, it was 
not attended with the wretchedness often exhibited by the emigrant 
ship, even now, notwithstanding the passenger law. "What the ul- 
timate end of slavery may be we cannot presume to guess; but we 
can see much good already resulting — good to the negro in his im- 
proved condition — good to the country whose rich fields he has 
made productive in climates at first unfit for the white man — and 
good to the continent of Africa, as furnishing the only means of ef- 
fectually civilizing its people. Whether Mr. Clarkson or Lord Car- 
lisle approve of the mode in which it has pleased Providence to 
bring this about, the result will probably be the same. There has 
been malignant abuse lavished upon the slave-holders of America by 
writers in this country and in England ; they consider abuses as its 
necessary condition, and a cruel master its fair representative. They 
have no knowledge of the thing abused ; they substitute an ideal for a 
reality. They have shown as little regard for truth and common sense, 
as we should do if we were to gather up all the atrocities committed in 
Great Britain by husbands and wives, parents and children, masters 



OBSERVATIONS ON SLAVERY. 205 

and servants, and denounce these several relations in life in consequence 
of their abuses. If because of the evils incident to hireling labour, 
because there are heartless, grinding employers, and miserable, starved 
labourers, it should be proposed to abolish work for hire, it would be 
quite as logical as the argument for the abolition of slavery because 
there are sufferings among slaves, and hard hearts among masters. 
The cruelty or suffering is no more a necessary part of our system 
than it is of the other. To attempt to establish the hiring plan 
with Africans is as wise as to endeavour to establish the constitutional 
government of England in Ashantee or Dahomey. Carlyle says that 
the world will not permit Cufiy to lie on his back and eat pumpkins 
for ever, in a country intended by Providence to produce coffee, 
sugar, and spices for the use of all mankind ; and that he must, one 
of these days, resume his work for Brother Jonathan, or some other 
master. The blacks in Hayti have only changed masters ; they are 
the slaves of a black chief, as in Africa. Their pagan mummeries 
have been resumed ; they are engaged in petty wars, instead of 
peaceful labours. The Emperor has his standing army, and is as 
anxious as more important potentates to employ it in the legitimate 
business of cutting throats. The African cannot originate a civiliza- 
tion of his own ; from the slave civilized and instructed by slavery 
can any regeneration of the African continent be alone looked for. 
We must believe that Christianity will at last be established in 
Africa, and carry there the improvement which always attends its 
steps. This is not to be accomplished suddenly by any compulsive 
movement, but slowly and gradually — it is in this way only that 
Providence efi'ects his great purposes. The black race always per- 
ishes if placed, as manumission would place it, in competition with 
the white. There is an obvious and irremovable dissimilarity between 
the white and black race. The number of blacks in Canada and 
in the Northern States is only kept up by the addition of freed or 
runaway slaves. In slavery they increase, as free they die out; 
therefore it is that the blacks in America cannot be made free for 
their own sakes, even if it were desirable they should be for their 
masters'. Manumission would injure both.' 



206 OBSERVATIONS ON SLAVEUY. 

Alas ! for distant Philanthropy ! Whatever griefs and vices may 
be discovered in the Southern States, I fear their prototypes are to be 
discovered in London, in Paris, and even in New York. Let us take 
out the beam from our own eyes before we make ourselves so busy 
with the motes in those of our neighbour ; and instead of abusing 
each other, let us assist in bearing one another's burdens, and the 
sorrows and faults of each will be lessened by division. 

Friday, Fehruary 2. — Yesterday I saw much of interest in the 

Museum, had a pleasant dinner at Mrs. R 's, and went to an 

evening party at Mrs. J. de B — — 's. This day we embark for 
Savannah and Florida, to return the 15th, and to embark for Cuba 
the 19th. No time for more at present. Goodbye. 

Yours affectionately, 

A, M, M. 



LETTER XYIII. 



Savanxah, Georgia, 
February 4, 1855. 



My dear Friends, — 

The Calhoun steamer left Charleston at four o'clock yester- 
day, and brought us here about three in the morning — a quiet and 
bright moonlight voyage. Mr. H , to whose care I was recom- 
mended by my friend Mr. R , of Liverpool, put me on board the 

vessel, and invited me to return to his house on the 15th, to take 
the Isabel for Cuba on the 19th. My last letter closed very hastily, 
as I had only just time to seal it before going on board. I do not 

know what you and our abolitionist friend F may think of my 

slavery conclusions. You will imagine that I have fallen under 
some evil influence ; but really we in England know as little about 
the domestic arrangements of these Southerners as they do about our 
great landholders in England. I have been several times assured 
that the present Duchess of Sutherland depopulated the Highlands 
for the sake of raising sheep there. They confuse dates and facts, 
and confound the present Duchess with the old Countess Duchess, 
whose energetic plans aided the starving Celts she caused to emi- 
grate, and that outlay of money may perhaps now tend towards the 
improvement of the estates of the present Duke. I fell in with a 
personification of ' Rebecca ' on board the Calhoun steamer. I was 
introduced when we embarked, and I felt myself attracted by her 



208 SAVANNAFI, 

beautiful, melancholy face. When we got acquainted, she told me 
this singular story : — At thirteen, she had run away from doting 
friends with her present husband, who, being a Christian, was not 
acceptable to them, and they refused forgiveness. Some years after, 
when she was on a steamer with her husband and a young babe, 
she w^as induced to sing ' Sweet Home ' on deck, in the dark. A 
voice not far oft said, in a beseeching way, ' Again, lady — pray 
again.' A vague feeling crossed her that its tone was familiar, still 
she hesitated to obey the request, when a friend near exclaimed, 
' Yes, do ; it may be that the stranger is separated from those he 
loves.' She repeated the air, and no more was said. The next 
morning she saw her father in the vessel. She darted up towards 
him, but he turned his back upon her ; and her courage failing her, 
she attempted no other appeal. Just after this he stopped the black 
nurse carrying her infant, took him in his arms, kissed his forehead, 
and said to a gentleman standing near, ' This is my grandson ;' yet 
he forgave not ; and some months afterwards he died without asking 
to see his daughter or her child again. She is now a fifteen-years' 
happy wife, with eight children, and has at last been invited to visit 
her former home alone. Her husband insisted upon her accepting 
this invitation, though it excluded him, and to-morrow she will be 
received by slowly-forgiving relations. I could not but sympathize 
with her feelings. 

Savannah seems a large town, with many pleasant squares, in 
one of which this (Pulaski) hotel is situated. It is so called in 
memory of a fine steamer of that name, which, before boilers were 
well regulated, blew up and engulfed members of almost all the 
principal famihes in this place. One ftunily, consisting of thirteen, 
lost eleven individuals ; only the father and one infant were left be- 
hind. In all the States of the Union I find complaints of poverty 
and public debt; so that while the Central Government of Wash- 
ington boasts of a superabundance of money, the Empire as a whole 
is little less involved than Great Britain. I think this fact is not un- 
derstood in Europe ; and what is more, while the national debt 
seems not to clog prosperity in England, poverty makes itself very 



' SLAVE.' 209 

evident among the governments of the Federal States. Matters of 
public utility are at a standstill in their chief cities. It is very easy 
for President and Congress to have a surplus, as long as the Union 
remains at peace : taxes flow in, and there are few out-goings. In 
general, the local capitals are ill-paved, indifferently drained, and 
poorly lighted, and the public buildings are few and badly kept. 

The air seems warmer here than at Charleston ; but I caught 
cold on board the steamer, which confines me to the house for to- 
day, and not having taken off my clothes last night, I do not feel 
very excursive. The Bishop of Georgia (Elliott), with his lady, and 
a gendeman and some ladies I knew in the North, have called upon 
me. 

I find that the term ' Slave ' is rarely made use of in the South. 
The blacks are called ' our servants,' or more commonly ' our people.' 
We must remember that when slaves are to be disposed of, people in 
this country do not consider they are literally buying men^ but ser- 
vices, and what we hear of, are the abuses not the laws of the system. 
Should a master ill-treat a slave, the law protects the latter; and I 
am inclined to believe cases of such treatment are rare. If a slave 
violates the law, a judge sends to his master, and says, This is your 
servant; if you do not punish him, I must. Of course the culprit 
much prefers to be corrected by his own master, by whom all exten- 
uating circumstances are understood and allowed for ; and he is 
usually left in his hands. 

As I have said before, the blacks are children of larger growth. 
They are tricky, idle, and dirty. An excellent English housekeeper 
who has the management of this house, tells me that it is impossible 
for them to get on with the motives that would influence whites. 
She is very averse to reporting any of the darkies as requiring cor- 
rection {alias, a whipping) ; but without the j)0wer of doing so, they 
would be utterly unmanageable. As it is, one white servant would 
do the work of three blacks. ' Tom,' perhaps, has no other vocation 
than to light fires. I have been amused to watch the slow round- 
about way in which he performs the operation, never having all he 
wants at hand. Tliis morning he brought no light ; so before pre- 
10^' 



210 NEGRO CHARACTER. 

paring to light the fire he takes ray wax candle, lights it, and lets it 
stand burning uselessly. Then, after lighting the tir3, he keeps the 
candle burning for half an hour in broad daylight, while he goes 
through various evolutions about the cinders and the dust, till he has 
settled it all to his satisfaction : and it is of no use to suggest any 
quicker mode of proceeding. I must repeat, over and over again, 
our ideas of negro character, and its capabilities, are little grounded 
upon truth. 

We have cast aside the evidence of people who, with clear un- 
biassed judgment, have w^atched the African from his cradle to his 
grave, and taken tlie opinion and the advice of well-intentioned but 
hot-headed zealots, until we have damaged the cause of civilization, 
checked the progress of individuals of the black race, and at the 
same time done mischief to ourselves, and to fine islands and colonies 
which are now again tending towards barbarism. People of the 
Southern States might not be considered unprejudiced witnesses of 
the present condition and prospects of our West Indian Islands; but 
I know from other sources, and I appeal to Englishmen for the truth 
of ray information. Barbadoes has already much deteriorated, and 
unless the power of landed acquisition by negroes receive some legal 
check (owing to the small disbursements necessary to their existence, 
and their giving no credit, with a deep laid intention of getting rid 
of white proprietors), the blacks will slowly but certainly gain pos- 
session of the island. The same process will follow in others; and 
when too late the British nation will come to a conviction that it 
must either re-conquer its West Indian Islands, or permit them to 
amalgamate with the United States, which by that time will be too 
wise to permit them to remain free black republics. There is no 
doubt the blacks are susceptible of education and improvement, to 
a certain extent, under white influence. The darkies of Baltimore 
and Virginia are a shade higher in the scale of improvement than 
those of Georgia, from being more in approximation with whites in 
a mass ; but you never can change the Ethiopian character, or wash 
white his skin. ' The pig will never grow into the lion.' Under 
good direction, it is a light-hearted, merry, unreflecting race, excit- 



MISTAKE OF ENGLISH PHILANTHROPISTS. 211 

able and impulsive ; but it has a sense of justice, and can be attached, 
and be made an honest, useful, and highly respectable servant, by 
judicious management and early training. A well-taught negro 
coachman drives admirably. They are apt at any mechanical em- 
ployment. Some of them are very orderly, but put them out of a 
track to which they have been accustomed, and they rapidly lose 
themselves. A lady here has taken great pains with a negro boy 
born in her family, I was amused to observe him standing behind 
her chair, with a tray under his arm, like a little black statue. He 
never forgets to come at a particular hour for her orders ; but the 
teaching him to read is no small undertaking. He goes on the box 
of the carriage, and well performs any accustomed duty ; but if you 
ask him to take a knife and dig up a plant, he looks utterly 
bewildered. 

What are we doing ? Instead of bringing away the African race, 
to return them in a generation or two educated for the improvement 
and enlightenment of Africa, are we not re-harharlzing the Christian 
world by giving fair fields back again into savage hands ? Negro 
Christians left to their own guidance fall sooner or later again into 
pagan habits. Inquire of the British consuls ; ask the admirably 
devoted clergy and bishops of this land ; take the convictions of any 
persons of experience and judgment who have lived among blacks. 
No discrepancies will be found in such opinions; but our people and 
our Governments of the last forty years have been led away by pre- 
conceived notions ; they have listened only to well-intentioned but 
weak religionists, and under a mistaken impression that they pro- 
moted freedom and Christianity, have they been giving encourage- 
ment to ultimate bondage and paganism. It appears that in this 
world God punishes weakness as well as wickedness. If we have 
intended virtuously as a nation, have we not acted weakly ? Instead 
of being surprised that these slave proprietors feel themselves insulted 
and aggrieved by the manner in which English philanthropists have 
vilified and abused them, I am only astonished at the patience and 
gentleness with which they have endured Our calumnies. They are 
just and kind towards us in spite of our faults, and for the sake of 



212 BUONAVENTURA CEMETERY. 

good intention, they forgive. It is said the ' Injurer never forgives;' 
let us beware how we realize that adage. x\niong a large class in 
the Xorth I found a jealous and unkind spirit towards the old 
country ; the reverse of this may be said of the South. I have 
observed a noble, generous, gentlemanly spirit in this part of the 
Union ; I feel assured that if the Southern proprietors, as a class, 
had found reason to believe that the institution of Slavery was pre- 
judicial either to the Christian or temporal interests of the blacks, 
they have chivalry enough in their composition to have cast aside 
mere motives of private interest ; but they knew, and we did not 
know — that was the difference. They have a right to accuse us of 
ignorance and conceit, and they are more forbearing than we had 
any claim to expect. I will try not again to recur to this subject till 
I get to Cuba, but it meets me so at every turn here, it is difficult 
to refrain. 

Savamiah^ February 6. — Yesterday I had a pleasant breakfast 

with Mr. and Mrs. H , to meet Dr. Elliott, as amiable and 

excellent as his friend and brother of Pennsylvania. He remained 
among his flock during the yellow fever, or rather plague, of the last 
autumn, the consoler and the nurse of old and young, and he 
escaped that pestilence all through a diocese as large as Great 
Britain. He is sincerely loved and truly valued, and amidst 
his onerous duties he neither scorns nor neglects the study of 
nature. 

After breakfast, ^liss T took me a delightful drive to the 

Cemetery of Buonaventura. We went part of the way through a 
forest, even now full of interest for the eye of a botanist. Eare 
pines, magnolias, Gelucinum sempervirens (here called Jessamine) ^ 
fan palms, cactuses, live oaks, and palmetto trees, not, as in the 
Northern forests, set like pins in a pincushion, but sufficiently apart 
to allow for increasing size, with airy glades and a lovely under- 
growth. 

Buonaventura once belonged to a gentleman of old family here ; 
he planted five avenues of live oaks verging to a centre, where stood 
his residence. That house was burned down ; a decreased income 



A COLLISION. 213 

obliged the family to part with their beautiful place, and it was 
bought by speculators, who are realising large sums by turning it 
into a cemetery ; it is a most appropriate spot for the purpose. The 
live oaks form arches equal to those of cathedrals ; while the 
Tillandsia, weeping from every branch of every tree, unartificially 
sympathizes with mourners, and adds solemnity to the whole scene. 
Two palmettos standing near the entrance to the old house are 
magnificent specimens of that noble tree. I found some young 
seedlings from them, which I hope to carry safely across the Atlan- 
tic. We came home by a rice plantation and negro village, with 
its neat and comfortable houses ; but in their interiors the people 
evince no ideas of tidiness or comfort. My negro woman at Sand- 
wich had the only neat room I have as yet seen among them. I 
was assured by everyone on Saturday that the Seminole steamer for 
Palatka would start at ten o'clock this morning; now I am told not 
till four in the afternoon. I hope this afternoon start wall not turn 
out to be midnight, as at Detroit. 

Darien^ February 9. — Some days of adventure. It was mid- 
night before the Seminole left Savannah for Palatka, owing to a 
necessity for repairs which the captain could not get executed — such 
is the slowness of negro work-people ; but a brilliant moon made 
everything nearly as visible as day. I was tired, and after a while 
got into my berth without undressing — a precaution I had every 
reason to be glad of; for about two-o'clock I was awakened by a 
terrible crash of timber on my side the vessel, only a few yards to 
the left of my head. I was sure a collision had occurred, and 
rushed out to ascertain whether the water was likely to rush in, the 
Arctic strongly in my imagination. I saw that a schooner had run 
directly into the paddle-box, just beyond my berth, and completely 
smashed that wheel. The man at the helm of the intruding vessel 
must have been asleep ; suddenly awakened by the noise of our 
steamer, he steered his boat the wrong way, and before our pilot 
could do anything she was plump into us. Had he only continued the 
coui-se he was on, when asleep, we should have passed without dam- 
age; as it was, he broke his own bowsprit straight off, sprung his 



214 RETURN TO SAVANNAH. 

foremast, and crippled us thoroughly ; so that all our captain could 
do was to cast anchor (fortunately within the bar of the Savannah 
Kiver), and send otf a boat instantly, eighteen miles to the town, for 
relief. 

A tedious time w^e had of it till five o'clock, Wednesday, when 
a steamer came down, attached herself to our ivell side, and took 
the poor Seminole safely back to the wharf, from which she had 
started the day before. It was no use to give way to terror about 
proceeding in consequence of the singular accident which had oc- 
curred ; I convinced myself we were not likely to meet with any- 
thing unpleasant again immediately; and, after all, feelings of thank- 
fulness were those uppermost in my mind, that we had passed such 
a danger unscathed. I decided to set forth again by the St. John 

steamer, at eight o'clock next morning. Poor R could not get 

over the fright ; and if there had been any back door to have run 
out of, for the first time I suspect she w^as almost inclined to desert ; 
however, with a melancholy expression, she became resigned, and we 
returned to the Pulaski Hotel to sleep ; for though Captain Postell 
was very kind, and offered us our berths on board, we were too 
much tired and exhausted not to seek quiet beds on shore. As in 
most bad cases there is compensation, so here good came out of evil. 
A common misfortune made me well acquainted with two agreeable 
and superior men, President Wheeler, of Burlington College, and 
Dr. Turner, of Savannah. They took charge of us as if we had 
been their sisters ; smoothed every ditiiculty, and as it turned out, 
there being no hotel or place of reception at Darien, if w^e had suc- 
ceeded in landing there the first night, we should have been thrown 
into an awkward situation. Now, Dr. Turner went on shore there 
to prepare accommodations ; and he and the Professor took us to 
the house of a hospitable Mr. and Mrs. Smith, w^ho gave us a com- 
fortable bed in their nursery, evidently putting themselves to some 
temporary inconvenience to take in the strangers. This place, 
Darien, is where General Oglethorpe entrenched himself during the 
war ; it is singular in appearence, and must be pretty in summer. 
Now, from the absence of all bright green, and the grey tinge 



PLANTATION. 215 

thrown over vegetation by the Tillandsia, it lias a very original look. 
The houses are mostly scattered, built of a kind of oyster-shell 
compost, the usual material hereabouts ; these oysters and mussels 
are thrown up in banks upon the shores of the Walaki (St. John's) 
River, and the brackish lakes, which here form a chain, sometimes 
communicating with the sea, sometimes joining the rivers, all the 
way from Savannah, upon this Georgian coast. It is a singular 
navigation ; one moment we stole along between swamps of high 
grass, where it was not possible for the steamer to get through the 
narrow bends except by the assistance of a towing-boat ; then we 
went out into the sea ; then we came back into a wide river, but so 
shallow that we were frequently sticking fast in the mud ; and at 
last, at night, we reached Darien. Fortunately a four-oared canoe- 
like boat, of Mr. Hamilton Cooper's, had come down from his plan- 
tation on the Altamaha, upon some business. Dr. Turner insured 
our being taken up with him ; we met Mr. Cooper also by accident, 
and after a very pleasant row of about five miles, he brought us to 
his English-like house (as respects the interior) and interesting home, 
my iirst resident introduction to plantation life. A happy attached 
negro population surrounds this abode; I never saw servants in any 
old English f^miily more comfortable, or more devoted ; it is quite a 
relief to see anything so pati'iarclial, after the apparently uncomfort- 
able relations of masters and servants in the Northern States. I 
should much prefer being a 'slave' here, to a grumbling saucy 'help' 
there ; but everyone to their tastes. We left the river about a quar- 
ter of a mile from the house, and came up a narrow canal, between 
rice plantations, almost to the door ; we passed two or three large 
flat boats, laden with rice ; and Mr. Cooper took me to see the 
threshing machine which was at work in a barn ; the women put- 
ting in the rice just as we do our grain ; they were more comforta- 
bly dressed than our peasantry, and looked happier ; otherwise (ex- 
cept the complexions) the scene was much of the same kind as that 
at a threshing-barn in England. It is in vain to intend keeping- 
silence upon the one thought that must be uppermost in a mind 
accustomed from childhood to erroneous views upon the Slavery 



216 THE AFRICAN RACE. 

question ; and I may as well write on. I now see the great error 
we have committed is in assuming that the African race is equal in 
capacity with the European ; and that under similar circumstances it 
is capable of equal moral and intellectual culture. 

The history of Egypt, of Rome, of the English, French, and 
Spanish Colonies, and the experience of American slavery, prove the 
reverse. No separate African civilization has sprung up from centu- 
ries of contact. St. Domingo has relapsed into barbarism, except in 
the case of some of the towns. The other emancipated colonies, not 
excepting Jamaica, are retrograding fast in the face of a white pop- 
ulation, and notwithstanding Government influence : in the United 
States, spite of more than a hundred years of white association, 
though they have been made rather superior to their brethren in 
Africa, in intellect and moral character, they remain, and ever will 
remain, inferior to the whites. I believe, and must not hesitate to 
confess my belief, the negro race is incapable of self-government ; 
and I suspect its present condition in the United States is practically 
the best that the character of the negroes admits of It is for their 
happiness and interest to remain in tutelage — at any rate for two or 
three generations. Is there any part of Africa, the West Indies, or 
South America, where three millions of negroes are to be found as 
comfortable, intelligent, and religious, or as happy, as in the South- 
ern States ? The most practical mode of improving a semi-barbarous 
race is to place it in the proportion of one to two in the midst of a 
civilized people. The system of slavery has been blamed for the ig- 
norance and vices of the Africans : are they less ignorant or more 
virtuous where slavery does not exist ? It has pleased Providence to 
make them barbarian, and as barbarian they must be governed, 
however Christian may be the principles and the feelings of their mas- 
ters. One of the mistakes we make is to attribute to a black the ideas 
and refined feelings of a white, and then we imagine his sufferings 
under circumstances of comparative degradation ; but happily what 
would be intolerable to the refined and cultivated is easily borne by 
the obtuse and ignorant. ' God tempers the wind to the shorn lamb.' 
That evil must always exist under any system of almost irresponsi- 



DEBTS OF THE STATES. 



217 



ble power is certain ; and there are, of course, painful exceptions to the 
generally kind, parental, and just rule of Southern planters; but 
these are the exceptions. The duty of Slave States and slave-o'vners 
is, by law and practice, to limit arbitrary power. The condition of 
the i-ace at present admits of no higher government, and the duty of 
all real philanthropists is to aid and support the masters in their 
efforts to ameliorate painful circumstances, by kind, liberal, and 
temperate suggestions of such correction as the system will admit of. 
As the Abolitionist is powerless, he should feel that ' moral suasion' 
is his only means of operating. If he means well by the slave, he 
will not create angry feelings in the master by inflammatory appeals 
to his people. I have heard individuals lauded for giving freedom 
to their slaves ; my observations lead me to believe that such people 
have only cast off an onerous and painful responsibility. One of the 
most intelligent and independent black men I ever heard of, born 
free in Canada, said, ' I know enough to know that my race is not 
either happier or better for what is called freedom. I would myself 
rather have been born a slave 1 ' He was asked why he did not go 
to Liberia. ' No,' he said, ' Republics are quite unfit for us — I will 
have nothing to do with them.' 

Hopeton, February 12. — I went yesterday through a forest of 
Pinus palustris to a spot where it is Mr. Cooper's intention to build 
a house to be called Altama. It will be beautifully situated on the 
edge of a pine barren, a sloping thicket of live oaks, magnolias, 
and fan palms, on one side, ending in rice plantations, with distant 
forest and river views extending towards Darien. This place was 
once the site of an Indian village, and I picked up fragments of their 
pottery. But there are now none of the Aborigines left in the 
Southern States. General Jackson removed all westward. I have 
had some conversation with Mr. Hamilton Cooper about the mone- 
tary affairs of the States. He says my remarks respecting the local 
debts are just, as respects a few of the States and cities, but that 
generally they are trifling when compared with their means and re- 
sources. In 1853, the aggregate State debt was about fifty millions 
sterlino- — that of Georsfia sixtv-three thousand. Pennsylvania is the 



218 AN UNFAVOURABLE CONTRAST. 

most indebted ; but there the debt is not more than ten per cent, on 
the property of the State. Complaints of poverty at present are 
temporary, the result of reckless speculation. Evidences of wealth 
and prosperity in America must be sought for among the masses, 
not in public v^^orks of governmental origin ; and the absence of ap- 
pearance in State capitals must not be mistaken for State poverty. 
Money is laid out ; but it is expended in magnificent hotels, in pri- 
vate residences, churches, schools, banks, railroads, &c., &c., in all 
objects ministering to individual enjoyment and to reproductive pur- 
poses. Corporate associations do all those things required for public 
convenience which are beyond individual ability, but public build- 
ings and public works are generally put aside, or made a secondary 
consideration. I forgot to mention that there are from three to four 
hundred negroes on this estate. Mr. and Mrs. Cooper have no white 
servants; their family consists of six sons and two daughters. I 
should not like to inhabit a lonely part of Ireland, or even Scotland, 
surrounded only by three hundred Celts. I believe there is not a 
soldier or policeman nearer than Savannah, a distance of sixty miles. 
Surely this speaks volumes for the contentment of the slave popula- 
tion. When I think of the misery and barbarism of the peasantry 
ofKintail, and other parts of Scotland (putting aside that of Ireland), 
and look at the people here, it is hardly possible not to blush at the 
recollection of all the hard words I have heard applied to the slave- 
holder of the South. Why, the very pigsties of the negroes are 
better than some Celtic hovels I have seen. Mr. Cooper is under 
some difficulty about a negro family he took in trust to manumit 
from the produce of their own labor. The poor people are averse 
to being freed, and especially to being sent to Africa. It certainly 
seems a cruelty to force them to accept that which they consider no 
boon. I believe this is a dilemma by no means rare. 

FehrvMry 12.. — Actually another white frost; every one says 
such cold is uncommon ; I find the weather now, much like ours at 
this time of year, and I expect the Chamierops serrulata, and other 
plants which do not seem affected by the cold we have here now, 
will be quite hardy in the West of England. The red maple is in 



ALLIGATORS. 219 

bloom ; I have not ascertained the species yet, but it is quite new 
to me, and a very show}^, elegant thing. Upon looking to Elliot's 
Botany of South Carolina and Georgia, I find this tree is Acer 
rubra ; it has a smooth, clouded bark, and in damp, rich soils 
becomes a large tree; but near the sea, where salt forms a compo- 
nent part of the soil, it dwindles into a small shrub. I have been 
wandering about among the negro dwellings, seeing the ugly babes 
and still uglier old people ; only one individual in bed in the hospital, 
and five or six in the male and female wards, cowering round the 
fires. Mr. Cooper tells me he once tried the capabilities of some of 
the most active among his people, by giving them the cultivation of 
fifty acres for themselves ; the first season, under direction, the 
plantation cleared fifteen hundred dollars, which he took care to give 
them in silver, hoping that would excite their industry ; the next 
year, left to their own management, the crop lessened one half; and 
the third season they let the land run to waste, so that it was use- 
less to permit them to retain it. Yet these very same people will 
labour readily and pleasantly under good superintendence. 

In warm weather alH gators are frequently seen, but now they 
remain torpid in their watery or muddy dens. They are not able to 
pursue and catch live creatures on shore, although they like to bask 
in the sun ; but if a young negro child, a calf, or a pig, lies down 
carelessly at the edge of the water, these American crocodiles use 
their tails to whisk such prey down, where they can devour it at 
their leisure. A Southern lady told me that her son once brought 
home some alligator's eggs. She placed them upon a table ; forty- 
eight hours afterwards, upon hearing a black girl scream, her 
mistress rushed down stairs : the warmth of the parlour had hatched 
three young alligators, two were running about the room, a third 
had been thrown out of the window, and in the fright of the moment 
all were killed, to the grief of the boy, who would gladly have 
made them pets. 

I have been out to sketch the house and plantation ; the air is 
warm and genial — nothing to remind us of this morning's frost. 

Yours aftectionately, 

A. M. M. 



M) J^ 






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'D. 



LETTER XIX. 



HoPETOx, Altamaiia Eiver, G-eokgia, ) 
Wednesdai/, February 14, 1855. J 

My dear Friends, — 

I hope my last letter arrived safely. Mr. Cooper sent down 
to Darien with it, so there is a good margin of time before the mail 
is closed for the 24th instant. After the sharp white frost of Mon- 
day, we had rain yesterday, and the folks here hope winter has at 
last taken his departure ; there is a bright sun this morning, and I 
expect to see vegetation advance rapidly, when once it fairly starts 
for the summer. Only six days will be left for my Florida tour, and 
yet if I had been able to proceed sooner, the weather would not 
have been favourable. I may get to Palatka, Friday evening ; in 
the next three days the orange-groves and Silver Springs must be 
accomplished, to leave one clear day for St. Augustine, where I 
should like to spend a week ; but we must return to Savannah, so 
as to take the steamer which leaves for Charleston, the 24th. A 
glimpse of Florida is better than not seeing it at all ; w^ith that I 
must be content. I cannot find myself dull with this pleasant 
family ; yesterday we did all sorts of things, just as I should have 
done among my own belongings in England. We cooked, and 
drew, and studied natural history. It has given me pleasure myself 
to pick up some interesting fresh-water and land shells in the rice 
ground ; then I like to hear all about the negro weddings ; how the 



SLAVE HONESTY. 221 

young ladies make the cake. &c. <fec. ; and I was amused by an 
account of one little Topsy, who could not resist cents when they 
fell in her way ; her mistress thought that by giving a few to her to 
take care of, she might be brought to some idea of mine and thine ; 
but when the pence were asked for, they had vanished. With a 
sad face the child said, ' All gone ; somebody tiefed from me.' Soon 
afterwards she said to one of the negro girls, ' Me very sorry, me 
could not help ; me tiefed from myself.' It is not often the blacks 
of this country are dishonest, but they sometimes reason in this 
way : ' I belong to massa, all massa has belongs to me ; ' and there 
is some difficulty in preserving onions or fruits, because they are 
thought to be common property ; they fish, and trap, and catch 
game ; and if guns were allowed them, everything would be de- 
stroyed. The only security for fish and game is keeping the 
' darkies ' well employed; and such is their feeling towards their 
master, that in some cases where freshets have put his crops in 
danger, they have worked freely eighteen hours out of the twenty- 
four, for three weeks, to save them — more than they would have 
done for themselves in such a case. The thanks of Mr. Cooper, and 
a few little presents, make them quite happy : they are devoted 
servants, and miserable free people. This fact it is impossible to 
state too often or too decidedly. The Creator of men formed them 
for labour under guidance, and there is probably a providential 
intention of producing some good Christian men and women out of 
it in time. AVe have been blindly endeavouring to counteract this 
intention ; we have thought ourselves wiser than our forefathers in 
all points, because we have advanced beyond them in others ; and 
it has been the habit for us in England to believe ourselves more 
religious, and virtuous, and benevolent than these slaveholders; 
whereas, I fear there is a greater amount of irreligion and vice in 
one town of ours, or of the Northern States here, than in all the 
Southern States put together. When I watch the kindness, the 
patience, the consideration shown by white gentlemen and gentle- 
women towards these ' darkies,' I could say to some anti-slavery 
people I have known, ' Go thou, and do likewise.' There is such a 



222 BRUNSWICK. 

sense of security in this country that doors and windows are as often 
left unfastened at night as not ; and a slaveholder told me he had 
lived alone for eight years among his negroes, without once thinking 
it necessary to lock a door or bar a window. 

February 15. — I spent two hours in the pine barrens and 
swamps yesterday, with some young friends, gathering seeds and 
taking up plants which I am going to send to England. However 
beautiful the flowers may be in Ma}^, this season is more advanta- 
geous to a gardener, because now roots can be moved with more 
safety. Mr. Cooper will go with me to Brunswick, where the St. 
John steamer calls, at three or four o'clock to-morrow morning, in 
her way to Palatka. 

>S'^. Augustine, Fehruary \ 9. — Brunswick is little more than the 
promise of a future town, but it is in a healthy situation, where 
there might be a fine park, at present there is only an hotel. 
Streets are marked out, and there are many pretty detached villas. 
Our way to it was over a deep sandy road, through the pine barren, 
and a continual undergrowth of that palm with a saw-like stem, and 
fan leaf (Chamoerops serrulata), from the leaves of which pretty 
baskets are manufactui'ed, and I imagine hats might be made equal 
to those of Leghorn ; it grows all about this extensive white sand 
district, as thick as fern with us, and I think it would be hardy in 
the southwestern parts of England. As we approached Brunswick, 
fine specimens of the tree or cabbage palmetto were by the wayside ; 
with difficulty we took up young ones for seedlings ; some run so 
deep into the ground it is hard to move them. A very primitive 
kind of post-office may be observed in these forests ; boxes without 
any lock nailed to a tree, into which, when a mail passes, letters are 
occasionally dropped. 

The St. John steamer arrived soon after midnight, but the tide 
did not rise sufficiently for her to leave till near three in the morn- 
ing, because she would not have been able to cross the bar of the 
St. John River. The following day proved bright and sunshiny, 
though cold for the climate ; in the IS'orth the weather has continued 
severe, with deep snow. Before entering the bar at the mouth of 



I'ALATKA. 223 

the St. John (or Walaka) River, we had to cross the open sea for 
some miles. I saw Palmettos, at least seventy or eighty feet high, 
upon the sandbanks as we entered the river ; it is said their roots 
reach to the clay beneath, but they do not appear to require either 
rich or marshy land. The sand here is just like that at Bourne- 
mouth in Hampshire; but on this coast it extends over many hun- 
dred miles. I have seen nothing else all the way from Savannah ; 
it has evidently been the bottom of the sea, and above it is a bed of 
shells, much resembling those of Hordwell Cliff, in England ; and 
there is a tract of still more recent formation, between Brunswick 
and Hopeton, where the bones of the megatherium, &c. (fee, are 
found in large quantities. A railroad is at present left in an un- 
finished state, as you aj^proach Brunswick. Some of these days, if 
it is carried into the interior, that place will become of importance. 
We touched at a small village called Mayport, on the Walaka 
River; there the steamer grounded, and detained us for some hours, 
till the rise of the tide. I went on shore and picked up a curious 
little prickly fish, a plate bone of an alligator, and shells, among 
them some curiously-shaped oysters and delicate little pholases. 
AVe got oft' about four o'clock, and proceeded to Jacksonville ; the 
sun set finely before we reached that place. This water resembles 
more a series of inland lakes than a river. We passed Magnolia and 
Picolata in the night, and reached Palatka about six in the morn- 
ing. There I found it was not possible to get any conveyance to the 
Orange Springs before Monday, so I determined to return as far as 
Picolata in the steamer, and get across a pine barren to visit St. Au- 
gustine, as there will be time enough for me to be back at Palatka 
for the next mail. We had a delightful passage down again, 
through the still calm waters of the wide Walaka. Each shore 
fringed by live oaks, with occasional palmettos, and now and then an 
orange-grove — but oranges are very scarce, since a severe frost some 
years ago destroyed nearly all the trees. I have seen no fruit what- 
ever, since the oranges and bananas imported to Charleston from 
Cuba. We got a rough carriage at Picolata ; it was of a light 
description, and drawn by two large horses ; but the deep white 



224 A SHELL LAND. 

sand continued the whole eighteen miles to St. Augustine, and it 
took us nearly five hours to get through it. I begin to see blossoms 
by the wayside ; a pretty white Rubus, looking like a single rose, 
I never saw before, and a very large violet without scent, a pretty 
white Tussilago, or aster-looking plant, about three inches from the 
ground (Chaptalia), the white star-like Houstonia in bright patches, 
and the fragrant yellow Gelucinum, running among the bushes, and 
up nearly to the top of trees in occasional swamps; a tiny white vio- 
let below, with Andromedas, Gordonias, and Yucca filimentosa, now 
and then by the side of our track. 

We crossed the branch of the St. Sebastian River, and a dis- 
mal-looking marsh near St. Augustine. Soon after ray arrival, 
President Wheeler, of Burlington, and Mr. Myers took me to see 
the ancient Spanish fort, built of Cucino, a stone formed entirely of 
shell debris. This is a shell land ; houses and walls made of shells, 
ground made of shells. I have got some recent ones — a fine large 
pholas, prima mactras, &c. &c., but none I have seem to have the 
gorgeous colouring of those in the South. Two fine date trees stand 
in the garden of Mr. Myers's house. I do not know if these are 
remarkable specimens, but they have far exceeded my expectations ; 
the regularly tiled bark, crowned by feathery foliage, more gigantic 
and noble-looking even than the Palmetto I admire so much, and 
the fruit (which hangs even now in wreaths between the leaves), 
when it Las its golden purplish hue, must be beautiful. 

I am disappointed to find that this place is not upon the main 
sea, but upon the St. Sebastian, which is rather a creek than a river. 
The streets are extremely narrow, and in general appearance the 
town is bare and dilapidated. Here, as well as at Bunswick, a rail- 
road would soon be the means of improvement and ultimate pros- 
perity ; but I suppose there is not capital enough to construct one 
even over this flat country, with timber on every side easily turned 
into sleepers ; only sixteen miles of rail would reach the St. John's 
(Walaka), but I do not hear of any proposition to make it. 

Silver Springs, Florida, February/ 21. — At last I have got to 
this place, without regretting the trouble of coming two hundred 



BOTAMIZING. 225 

and thirty miles from Savannah, althougli my journey has been a 
tedious and difficult one. Even with my superficial knowledge of 
geology, I find the features of this country very interesting ; both at 
Ocala and here, there is a kind of chalk and greensand with the 
fossils belonging to a cretaceous formation, and the Silver Spring 
bursts forth just like many streams and springs in Dorsetshire, clear 
and bright as crystal ; but I must go back to St. Augustine before I 
say more about this part of Florida. I got a kind of open vehicle 
with four horses, which in five hours took us to Picolata — there the 
Charleston steamer Caroline, which would take passengers on to 
Palatka, was expected ; and we got shelter in a shed belonging to 
an Englishman, who acted as postmaster. It rained hard, but I 
took my umbrella and walked out to look for plants in a wood near. 
Growing by a shed, I found a Solamen, new to me, which had been 
brought from the West ; it was a shrub with white flowers and soft 
cottony leaves on, and growing under the trees. I gathered white 
blossoms of the beautiful little creeping Rubus I had before seen, 
like a small white rose ; it resembled one much both in leaves and 
flowers. I also picked up seeds of the red maple, which also grows 
on the banks of the Altamaha, but then not forward enough. 

The Caroline came about five o'clock ; she was a swift boat, 
but less comfortable in point of accommodation than the St. John, as 
the ladies' cabin was below, and there was no pleasant place upon 
which to sit out upon deck. However, as the evening continued 
rainy, that did not signify. We reached Palatka about eight ; and 
by nine next morning a comfortable mail carriage with four horses took 
us in, bound, as I believed, for the Silver Spring, a place about seven- 
ty-six miles from hence. If I had known that we should not arrive 
there till after midnight, fifteen hours' travel, with one man driving 
four horses through a pine barren, which harbours wolves, bears, 
and panthers, my courage would have failed me. At last, when we 
reached our journey's end, I found myself not at the Silver Spring, 
but at a place called Ocala, which I had never before heard of; and 
I have since discovered that, owing to the abuse of power in this 
republican country, I was made to go sLx miles out of my way, be- 

11 



226 DEMOCPATIC DESPOTISM. 

cause tlie postmaster, who has a small boarding-house near the 
Spring, was not a supporter of this President ; so the democrats got 
the mail altered to Ocala, for the purpose of damaging Mr. Mann ; 
and although there might be a practicable water-carriage by the 
Ochlawaha, straight from Palatka to the Silver Springs, where there is 
a perfect inland harbour for steamers, which ought to make that 
place a considerable one, with fair usage, — that harbour has been 
neo-lected or discouraged ; so that cotton must be dragged the whole 
wav we have come in bullock-wagons. Such an act of despotism 
could never have been perpetrated in monarchical England ; after all, 
the most truly free country in the world. 

At midnight, cold, wet, and dark, we at last reached Ocala. I 
fortunately had some tea with me ; I begged some hot water, 
and a black girl brought in one hand an open iron pan, with the 
water escaping fast out of a hole ; in the other, the remains of a 
china teapot without spout or handle. 

' Missus, which shall I make it in ? ' 

I said we had better put the tea into the one that had no hole in 
the bottom, and so we made something like tea. Next morning I 
was surprised to find some bits of greensand rock containing fossils, 
which first made me suppose there must be something like chalk in 
the neighbourhood. I asked where there had been digging, and Mrs. 

B , sister to the landlord, who entered into the matter, proposed 

to walk with me to a spot, through the nearest hummock (or small 
wood), where there had been an abortive attempt to sink a well. 
She got a negro boy to guide us, and I found the spot ; a shaft had 
been sunk to the depth of sixty feet, and there, sure enough, were 
fossils, Nummulites ; pectens, &c., <fcc. 

At first I was told it was not possible to get to Silver Spring. 
But at last, with some difficulty I procured two one-horse wagons, 

which took R and me to the httle cottage hotel near the Silver 

Spring, from whence I now write ; it is kept by the postmaster, Mr. 
Mann, who three or four years ago bought some land, and settled 
here from Geororia. He and his o-ood wife make us as much at home 
as they can by the side of their comfortable pine blaze, which is fire 



THE SILVER SPRING. 227 

and candle in one ; and with the aid of a feather bed and blankets, 
I did not suffer from cold in the night, althongh the roof was not 
wholly closed from the air, and light showed between the planked 
walls ; frost outside. For twenty years such severe weather has 
not been known in these parts, and all still looks wintry. 

I have been in a little boat upon the bright clear water, which 
in some places is forty feet deep, issuing freely, I suppose, out of the 
greensand rock below, which looks as if made out of solid aquama- 
rine — every fish, and shell, and weed is perfectly visible. This silver 
stream flows a good sized river five miles, and then joins the Ochla- 
waha, which runs into the St. John's twenty miles above Palatka ; 
and though it may be double the land distance from that place, the 
water carriage would be much pleasanter and more rapid than wa- 
ding through about seventy miles of sandy, swampy pine barrens. I 
now find that a stage which passed ours on the road actually came 
straight by this place from Palatka, so I should have paid twelve 
dollars less, and we should have arrived here some time earlier, and 
not have had the difficulty of getting back again here, if it bad 
suited the views or the interests of Palatka to let me know the Silver 
Spring was nearer than Ocala ; — but I find, in this country, travellers 
must always be on their guard against false information, given from 
the selfish rivalry of parties or individuals ; in this respect, America 
is w^orse than any part of the world I ever before visited. Mr. Rob- 
ert Chambers was either much mistaken or grossly deceived when 
he pubhshed a letter asserting the absence of imposition at the hotels. 
For less real comfort, I have as yet been made to pay everywhere 
(with the one exception of Cleveland on Lake Erie) far more than in 
England ; upon an average at about ten pounds a week for my maid 
and self, taking our meals at the public table, and without a private 
sitting-room. This exceeds anything I ever paid in any country in 
Europe; and there is neither appeal nor redress. Whether you dine 
out every day or not, no difference is made in your hotel expenses. 
It is true you may generall}^ console yourself by the use of gorgeous 
mirrors, silk curtains, and splendid carpets ; but few travellers wish 
for this kind of accommodation. Mr. Mann drove me yesterday to 



228 TIGER CAT. 

see the plantation of Mr. P -, a gentleman's place, where there is a 

really fine grove of orange trees ; they are indigenous, some of them 
standing in a clearing, and others, as undergrowth in the forest, ex- 
tending down to the river which flows from the Silver Spring. Some 
of these are thirty feet high, loaded with fruit of a kind called here 
the 'bitter-sweet; ' they are good, if all the pulp is carefully taken 
out ; but eaten without that operation they are as bitter as what we 
call Seville oranges. I saw several little green paroquets with yellow 
heads, the only kind of parrot common in Florida. Rattlesnakes are 
frequent, but they always get out of the way, if they can ; wolves and 
panthers, too, are only dangerous to sheep and dogs. A gentleman 
hunting in this neighborhood lately, on a mule, the animal trod up- 
on a snake, which stung him so that he died in a few minutes ; and 
some days ago, a tiger cat jumped out upon a negro, wdio drove it 
ofi' by a stab with his knife ; but the man's clothes were torn, and he 
was so terribly frightened that he could give no clear account of his 
assailant ; these are the only casualties from wild beasts I have heard 
of, and 1 have seen nothing of the kind to alarm me. I have not 
even got a sight of an alligator yet, and the only remarkable birds I 
have observed, were a bald-headed eagle on the Altamaha River, 
and a very dim-coloured kite. 

From the inquines I have made, and my own observations, I 
suspect that the centre part of Florida was once an island, divided 
from the main land by a strait, which went across where a dismal 
swamp may now be seen ; the sea, probably, extended from about 
St, Augustine to Savannah, across to Appalachicola ; and from thence, 
towards Picolata and Alligator, the country begins to rise ; then 
comes a volcanic and then the chalk district ; and I understand there 
are hio-her limestone rido:es further south, where the land foils down 
to the plains of the Everglades ; a tribe of Seminole Indians (so called 
because they are runaways from the Creeks) still haunt those 
Everglades. The United States Government have military stations 
or posts to prevent them from coming further north ; and some en- 
deavours will be made to induce them*to follow the other Indian 
nations westward. A chief once consented to such an arrangement, 



OCALA. 229 

but his people refused to ratify it. Tlie wood tliey call 'kindling' 
(Pinus palusfris). Game, fish, and yams are so plentiful in the 
South, it is not to be wondered at that the poor savages are loth to 
emigrate to the cold north-west ; but their fate is sealed ; go they 
must, sooner or later, before the encroaching white man ; however 
sad, there is no alternative. The Indian name of these springs is 
poetical and appropriate. ' Chatawa via wa — Chatawa via na wa' 
(Bright flowing river of silver silent waters). We have been living 
here, in Mr. Mann's open log-dwelling, with only him, Mrs. Mann, 

and their negroes, sharing pot-luck ; R and I sitting by the 

blazing pinewood fire ; little niggers at our feet ; black ' boys and 
girls' of all ages coming in and out, and leaning and gossiping against 
the fire-place, whenever they ' minded.' Mr. Mann said, ' You see 
how it is ; how much harder I and my poor wife work than these 
people ; I would gladly give them all away for one good w^hite ser- 
vant ; their food and clothing cost me more than I should have to 
pay for wages ; and they are so v/asteful. All my children are mar- 
ried. My old woman and I could be much more comfortable if we 
Avere not hampered by fifteen negroes. I should not like to sell 
them, or make them leave; it is a hard task w^e have; but it would 
be such a distress and ruin to the poor things, if we rid ourselves of 
them.' 

Ocala^ Fchruary 24. — In the afternoon of the day before yester- 
day, I returned to this place ; symptoms of a chalky country the 
whole way. Before sun-rise the next morning I was out. Upon 
going down stairs I found no fastening to the external door of this 
house ; but a light chair was placed against it, which a child could 
have pushed aside. What an evidence of the security of property 
in this unguarded slave country, when locks and bolts are considered 
unnecessary. Before breakfast, I rambled two or three miles into a 
beautiful forest to the south-west, without the smallest fear of meet- 
ing anything more alarming than two or three black pigs, which are 
allowed to wander at will after roots and acorns ; if rattlesnakes have 
finished their winter-nap, they are not up so earl}^ Everything 
around was bright and tranquil — magnolias, streaming epiphytes, 



230 

and palmettos, looked so foreign, that when I came to what in 
Devonshire would be called a ' gully,' in this usually flat country, 
and saw a stump covered with one of the English feather mosses 
(Hypnum 2yroUfcrum)^ I was quite surprised. In a clearing, upon 
my return towards this little town of seven years' existence, I met 
an old negro, sitting upon his bullock-cart. We had a long conver- 
sation : he asked about England, and seemed anxious to talk of 
the condition of his race, and their prospects in Liberia ; he was by 
far the most intelligent negro I ever met with. He told me he had 
worked for himself at odd times, and had accumulated enough to 
buy his own freedom ; he purposes doing this, and going to Liberia, 
he and his wife, with the view of guiding and improving his fellow 
blacks. He thinks the slaves unfit for freedom in the mass; that 
only those who have been raised for a generation or two among the 
whites can be induced to work ; and that some few, who like him- 
self have got improved habits, may go back to do good in Africa. 
Old Dick would not have stopped the slave trade ; ' No, ma'am ; 

bring them away to make them better.' Mr. G , an excellent 

Episcopalian missionary and clerygman here, who was educated in 
the North, is of the same opinion. No one can live long in this 
country without being convinced of the want of real information, and 
the injudicious tendency of Uncle Tom. He says such books, how- 
ever popular and ingenious, are false in fact, and therefore bad in 
principle ; and I have already seen enough fully to concur in that 
conclusion. Untruth will never promote Christianity ; and those 
who sincerely desire to advance the cause of the negro should remain 
for some months in the Southern States of America ; not with the 
view of strengthening their own prejudices, but single-minded, and 
with a simple intention to seek, and to accept, such information as 
really may enable them to understand what will benefit their fellpw- 
creatures. I spent yesterday in visiting every quarry and opening 
which might enable me to comprehend the geological features of 
this neighbourhood. Chalk and flint and greensand abound ; and 
I can hear of no other formations within any reasonable distance. I 
found strong evidence of the up-heaving by volcanic action — fossils 
plentiful ; but I found no gryphites, scaphites, or nautili. 



PANTHERS. 231 

This morning, we return as far as the Orange Springs, for I shall 
not again be inveigled into a fifteen hours' journey through the sand 
barrens. 

Falatka, February 25. — Our stage did not leave Ocala before 
eleven o'clock. It was delayed by the non-arrival of the mail from 
Tampa, a place a hundred miles to the south-west. A crow in this 
country makes a noise just like the bark of a dog. The deer, which 
are still frequently shot, are of small size ; their horns have never 
more than five or six points ; their weight from eighty to one hun- 
dred and sixty pounds. There are panthers measuring twelve feet 
from the nose to the tip of the tail, which occasionally carry off cows 
and oxen. A large one destroyed some pigs close to Palatka. 
Several gentlemen pursued the animal. It took refuge in a large 
swampy hummock ; the hunters then sent their dogs to get the 
beast out, but of thirteen only eight ever appeared again, and it was 
concluded that the other five were killed by the panther. Unless 
alarmed, or wounded, they have never been known to attack a man. 
After a tedious journey, we reached Orange Springs by seven in the 
evening. I got a carriage very early, and went to breakfast with 

Mr. and Mrs. L , who ' are roughing it in the Bush.' They gave 

me excellent bread and butter, which was a treat after the hot rolls 
and buckwheat cakes most usually met with in America. I saw the 
sulphur springs and lakes, which may have once been volcanic sinks, 
and got back to Mr. Dickenson's boarding house in time for the de- 
parting stage. The weather proved w^et, and our journey back to 
Palatka dreary. 

February 26. — I saw a bone here last night seven feet long and 
three inches wide, wavy in form, and apparently recent. Some one 
suggested that it might have belonged to a sea-cow. It did not re- 
semlg)le the rib of a whale, though it might belong to the head of a 
large one. I sketched the form, not being able to guess what crea- 
ture had ever owned it. As the Walatka steamer makes a trip of 
thirty-two miles up the North Creek, one of the branches of this 
' river of lakes ' (a translation of the Indian name of Walatka, the 
St. John), I took the Charleston boat as far as Jacksonville, and 



232 JACKSONVILLE. 

went on board that for Savannah at night. Jacksonville is, to my 
fanc}^, the prettiest town between Brunswick and Palatka. There is 
a large hotel ; and in consequence of a destructive fire last year, 
good brick houses and shops are rising up. In one of the sandy 
alleys at the back of the place, I found some lumps of pori^hyritic 
rock, much to my surprise, for I could not believe they belonged to 
this modern land. After some inquiry, I found they had been 
brought here as ballast. I went into a store, where I bought alli- 
gator's teeth, limes, and a nice little map of Florida. Professor 
Baird, of Washington, gave me a note of introduction to Dr. Bald- 
win ; but unfortunately the doctor was away from home, so I did 
not succeed in getting some botanical information I hoped for. Mrs. 
Baldwin was very obliging : she gave me a fine specimen of coral 
from Key West. This name is a corruption of the Indian-Spanish 
words, ' Chicao hueso. Key of Bones.' We shall touch there in our 
way from Charleston to Cuba. After making a sketch at Jackson- 
ville, I got on board the WalatJca before sunset, and after a success- 
ful though cold voyage of two nights and one day, we reached 
Savannah by seven o'clock in the morning of February 28th. My 
friends, Miss T and Mr. and Mrs. H , received us very hos- 
pitably. Miss T took me a drive to call upon Dr. Turner, my 

fellow sufferer in the Seminole accident, who took such charge of me 
as far as Hopeton. I was delighted to visit his cottage, where I 
found him very busy gardening, and I learned a new and ingenious 
mothod of cultivating strawberries. He almost promises to meet me 
at Chittanoge, if I will make my way into Tennessee from New 

Orleans. I will try. Before seven o'clock Mr. 11 took me on 

board the Calhoun. The night was bright, but very cold, and an 
adverse wind and rough sea prevented the steamer from reaching 

Charleston before six o'clock next morning. Mr. and Mrs. H 

expected me to breakfast ; and after three successive nights spent on 
board three steamers, without taking off my clothes, the prospect of 
three quiet days in their comfortable house was very consoling. My 
chalk fossils and pretty ferns excite an interest among some of my 
friends here. Professor Gibbs spent some time in looking over 



CHARLESTON. 233 

these acquisitions, and Mrs. H promises to plant, and watch 

over all the living plants this next summer, and then she will forward 
them to meet me at Boston next September, when I hope my 
Ward's case will transport them safely to England. But the weather 
continues extremely cold — I am assured quite unusually so for this 
part of the world : it is quite as bitter as our coldest March. I often 
think of the poor troops, for it seems this long severe winter has ex- 
tended to Europe as well as America. It has been a great disap- 
pointment to find no letters here : not one line have I received from 
England of later date than the 9th of January, and this is the 3rd 
of March; but I trust mails are awaiting us at Cuba. We are a 
month later in going to that island than I expected ; so I have lit- 
tle doubt but Mr. Crampton has forwarded letters there. Yesterday 
I spent some hours gardening with Mrs. H . I have endeav- 
oured to reconcile the pretty fern from Scott's Springs near Ocala, to 
grow away from its chalky locality by scraping lime off a wall ; but 
it is so fairy-like and fragile in appearance, I fear it is of a tender, fan- 
ciful nature ; and the sheltered arched cave and dripping stalactite of 
Florida is very unlike any home I can find for it. However, I have 
plenty of specimens in my press, and if the plants die I must be con- 
tent with their lifeless forms. AVe embark to-morrow morning in 
the Isabel for Cuba — another three days' voyage ; but there will be a 
fine moon, and at last I hope to leave winter behind me. There 
seems little hope of getting away from it until we reach a tropical 
climate. Every one here is shivering and complaining of such unu- 
sual cold — for, of course, southern, dwellings are ill prepared to com- 
bat it — and the poor trees and shrubs look unhappy under this 
northern treatment. I have sent boxes of seed^^nd plants to 
Dorsetshire; of course, the weather is also unfavoinable for their 
travels, and I fear it may render them of little value ; but still iL is 
of no use to keep seeds through another season. The mail goes to- 
day. I shall like to know when ray packet reaches home. 

Yours aftectionately, 

A. M. M. 
Charleston^ March 3, 1855, 

11* 



LETTER XX. 

On Board the Isabel, 1 

Between Key West and Cuba, > 

March 7, 1855. ) 

My dear Friends, — 

In spite of the rocking of this steamer, I can write this morn- 
ing ; and I want to tell you some things, which may be shoved out 
of my memory by the excitement and novelty of Cuban scenes. 
The day before leaving Charleston, I spent some time at the Mu- 
seum, where Mr. Holmes, the curator, thinks that my brown Florida 
flints, although they strike fire, are not analogous with the black 
flints in England. As I found no scaphites, or nautiluses, and no 
real terebratulae, Mr. Holmes thinks ray chalk is of the same date as 
the cretaceous formations of Carolina and Alabama. I have not 
seen them, so I cannot judge; but with the exception of whatever 
paleontological difterences there may be (of which I am not learned 
enough to judge), Florida chalk and Dorset chalk are twin sisters; 
yet it requires exact knowledge to distinguish old red sandstone from 
the new red by the general appearance of either ; so I suppose there 
is some resemblance between these chalky sisters, and that new 
chalk and old chalk are difficult to distinguish : but this matter 
must be settled by a wiser geologist than I pretend to be. I have 
heard of the genuine sea-serpent at last ! You know I always ad- 
vocated the reality of such a reptile — partly founded upon its ad- 
mission into the Scandinavian Mythology, in which every symbol 



THE GENUINE SEA SERPENT. 236 

was borrowed from IS'ature. Last spring, when Captain Peat, of the 
steamer William Seabrook, was going up an island portion of the 
Savannah River, he as well as his crew and passengers saw a gio-an- 
tic serpent just before the vessel ; it quickly disappeared ; a notice 
of the circumstance was inserted in a local newspaper, and treated 
with the usual incredulity. Captain Rollins of this ship says, he, 
like the rest of the world, disbelieved the report; but the next day, 
during the passage of his steamer to Savannah, on approaching the 
bar of St. Helens, he was called by his look-out man to see ' Ae 
biggest log that ever was.' On looking through his telescope, he 
clearly saw that the object in question was no tree, but a monster as 
long as the Isabel herself, in rapid motion ; as he watched it, it 
reared its snake-like body and head high out of the water as the 
funnel of the steamer, looked about for an instant, and then plunged 
down, leaving a swirling eddy where it had shown itself. No rea- 
sonable person acquainted with the calm seaman-like character of 
Captain Rollins, will suspect him of either exaggeration or error in 
describing a fact; but this, I believe, is the first time that the sea- 
serpent has been supposed to be seen or heard of in southern lati- 
tudes: it is probably a denizen of the deep seas which rarely and ac- 
cidentally gets into shallower water ; and if it is an uncommon 
creature, I think the argument that no bone or skeleton has ever 
been found, cannot stand against such strong evidence as we have 
of its existence : there mai/ be some weight or property in the skele- 
ton which prevents any part of it from rising to the surface out of 
the sea caves where it usually lives and dies, 

I was fortunate in finding ray old friend G. P embarking in 

the Isabel at the same time as myself: his society and aid will 
make not only my fbyage but my residence in Cuba much more 
agreeable; for as his physician has ordered him to counterbalance 
the efiects of an unusually severe winter by a visit South, he, like 
myself, has no other objects but information and amusement; so I 
hope to benefit by his assistance as well as his company. The voy- 
age of three days and three nights from Charleston was very pleasant ; 
we had calm weather, and a splendid moon ; and although upon 



236 LIGHTHOUSE. 

runnino- a few hundred miles between the Gulf Stream and tlie coral 

o 

reefs and islands south of Florida, there was sufficient motion to af- 
fect all the extremely sensitive of our party, neither R nor I 

were ill for a moment. 

Two small Government vessels, with surveyors, were occupied in 
raising beacons at intervals along the reefs. Upon one of them I 
saw an erection quite novel to me ; a residence and lighthouse, built 
upon an apparently transparent iron framework, about forty feet in 
height, so that the waves of the sea pass through the foundation in- 
stead of undermining it ; a retired naval master lives with his family 
in charge of this useful, but alarmingly fragile- looking establishment. 
He has a small yacht, in which he or some of his household occa- 
sionally visit the mainland, and I believe they reside in their airy 
dwelling without apprehension, although a few years ago, when 
every house on Key West was inundated during the most violent 
storm ever known, a lighthouse built upon the most southern point 
of the United States territory, on a very small island in the sea, was 
washed away with all its residents. 

The captain told me that when about a mile from the Florida 
coast, he sometimes could distinguish bears walking about on shore, 
and he pointed out a small island in the chain which extends from 
the mainland down to Key West, which a few years ago was inhab- 
ited by a settler and his femily. The Indians came forty miles in 
canoes, attacked the place, and murdered every individual ex- 
cept the wife and daughters of the master, who crept in among 
some sand and lumber under a small wharf. After making them- 
selves too drunk to look after these, the Indians left the island, so 
that a few days afterwards the women were rescued unhurt. Now, 
the United States troops have enclosed the savl!^es within a certain 
district, where they can do no injury, and eventually they will be 
got off after the other tribes, westward. It was with regret that I 
found it beyond midnight before we reached Key West; as the 
steamer only stayed half an hour while she landed a few passengers 
and some goods, I could onl}^ go for a few minutes on shore, and my 
first introduction to cocoa-nut trees was by moonlight. However, 



APPROACri TO THE HARBOUR. 237 

we were lucky to have a moon. I picked np a few stones tliat I 
might see what the Land was made of, and afterwards remained on 
deck till two o'clock, so as to see the fine revolving light of a house 
about nine miles out at sea. I was on deck as soon as the Cuban 
land could be distinguished, and we had a charming run down to 
the island — flying fish among the waves, and the elegant man-of- 
war birds sailing about over our heads. In general outline, the 
island is straighter and less mountainous than I expected ; it did not 
look more elevated than the clift's of Brighton, in some places white 
and chalky in appearance. But nothing can be more picturesque 
than the Moro, and the entrance into a beautiful and extensive har- 
bour. At a distance the hill upon which the Cabanos fortress 
stands has a resemblance to what is called the Look-out at Wey- 
mouth ; but, as you near it, it has a much more rugged appearance, 
and it is as if rent and cloven by volcanic action. A Moorish-look- 
ing battery, or wall, standing upon each fragment, it looks a very 
strong place. I must not sketch here without special permission 
from the Capitan-Generale. I never saw any harbour filled by a 
more interesting assemblage of ships. English men-of-war (my 
heart jumped at the sight of that flag), a very fine Spanish steamer, 
the Princeton., a handsome American, and many of their schooners 
which are so specially airy and graceful. By-the-bye, at Key West, 
I saw a Governmental United States schooner with three masts, 
which was to me a new kind of craft. A boat, containing a messen- 
ger from Madame Almy's boarding-house, took us on shore towards 
the bright, gay, Spanish-looking town. We were detained for half 
an hour in a cool, clean building, with iron railings on one side, 
through which peeped Spanish and negro and mulatto eyes, eager to 

seek employment in carrying baggage for strangers. Mr. P 

and I walked up to the hotel. From the descriptions 1 have read of 
Spain and Italy, I should suppose its appearance and our reception 
such as I should expect at Seville or Cordova. A fine English-look- 
ing coach, with gaudy hammercloth, had its domicile on the ground- 
floor. It belongs to the mistress of the mansion, who occupies it 
during her evening drive on the Pasco. She speaks Enghsh, being 



238 THE ANTI-SLAVERY MOVEMENT. 

Anglo- American born, and Cuban by marriage. Ladylike in man- 
ner and deportment, slie takes lier post in the society of her house, 
and manages the concern with the assistance of a housekeeper. The 
rooms are comfortable, and the table is well served. The interior 
laid out in open galleries, and high rooms with painted cornices and 
ceilings, have the look and arrangement (I imagine) of an old 

Spanish palace. In the evening, Mr. P took me a drive in a 

volante round the town and its environs. After all I had heard of 
the peculiarities of the habits, dress, and social customs of the 
Cubans, still I was surprised ; for it appears to me that Havana is 
more Spanish, more Moorish, more unlike Europe, and resembling 
more what I fancy Spain might have been in the time of Charles V. 
than anything my imagination conceived. The wheels of the vo- 
lantes were higher and more eccentric. The negro drivers, in their 
costume and jack boots, surpassed the old French postilions. The 
ladies, in full-dress evening gowns, decolletees, short-sleeved, and 
coiffees, as if for a London evening party. The houses flat-roofed, 
many-coloured, and Moorish-looking ; the trees generally new to me, 
and the flowers strange ; the horses, with their plaited tails tucked 
up on one side, stift' and inelegant; negro soldiers in straw hats, and 
mulatto women in gay turbans ; all this, added to unknown tongues, 
and a splendid southern sky, mystified me, and made me feel 
dreamy, as I had never felt before ; and yet I have looked at some 
accounts of Cuba, and read Cuba as It is. I wonder whether any- 
body ever did acquire clear ideas of distant countries and strange 
manners by reading, or by hearing of them. 

There are many more African-looking negroes here than in the 
Southern States of America. Perhaps the Anti-Slavery movement, 
although mistaken in its objects, may have providentially intended 
to raise and educate an improved negro race without fresh importa- 
tion, for the purpose of ultimately civilizing and Christianizing 
Africa. I don't think that negroes from Cuba would be likely to 
regenerate or improve their race. I believe, on good authority, that 
the free blacks here are profligate and irreligious; and they look far 
less happy than their brethren in seivitude. 



239 

February, 29. — I spent the greater part of the morning bargain- 
ing for some articles of attire. Shopping here is conducted quite 
after a Turkish fashion ; you are expected to bargain, and consider, 
and discuss for an hour, before you conclude a purchase. Ladies 
seldom go into a shop ; the best part of its contents are brought to 
their residences, or displayed in the volantes in which they drive to 
the shop-door; and three times the price intended to be taken is 
often asked in the first place ; then the buyer ofters three times less 
than she intends to give, and at last, after many objections and re- 
monstrances on both sides, the bargain is struck — a sad waste of 
time and profanation of truth ; but it is useless to rebel against 

Spanish custom. Before breakfast G. P took me out walking 

by the harbour to the market, where the brilliant-coloured fish and 
the strange-looking fruits were very interesting. I was surprised to 
see great pholases (one of the boring shell-fish) as an article of food, 
and numerous other bivalves which did not look tempting. We 
afterwards visited the garden in front of the Capitan-Generale's 
palace. There were fine palm trees, which at first I mistook for 
dates. I am quite puzzled by the trees here, as they are so strange ; 
for, though w^e may be well acquainted with tropical flowers in our 
hot-houses, the larger products are of course less known to us ; and 
as yet I have found no one here who can give me botanical informa- 
tion. The Spaniards are accused of eradicating trees as much as 
possible ; and certainly. I do not see anything like groves around 
Havana — only avenues, and occasional rows of palms. Mrs. Crau- 
ford, the Consul's lady, will have a pic-nic to-morrow in the most 
shady garden known here, Jbecause it is a deserted residence. 

March 10. — Last night I went to Mrs. Crauford's reception, in 
one of the most beautiful houses I have yet seen here. It was built 
by a wealthy gentleman, and as he is for the present residing w^ith 
his wife at Paris, he has let his house to the British Consul. The 
entrance (like that of the most of the palaces here) is a high, 
Moorish-looking hall, with a^J^or^c cochere ; from this springs a fine, 
geometrically-built stone staircase, leading first to a music-gallery ; 
besides other rooms, a splendid drawing-room and ante-room, the 



240 A SPANISH DOG. 

one with an ornamental marble floor, tlie other en parquet, of a pat- 
tern elaborately worked in various woods ; Pompeian ceilings ; a 
beautifully ornamented dressing-room, and a bedroom beyond — 
recherchees, and in good taste. I was introduced to all our naval 
officers, as well as to the Americans in harbour. I drove there and 
back in a vol ante al fresco ; although in an evening dress, it was 
perfectly warm and pleasant. The interior of the houses, with their 
spacious windows, entrances open to view and well lighted, looked 
gay and cheerful, as we went — returning at half-past ten, I was not 
quite without apprehension, as I was told robberies were frequent at 
that hour; however, we safely arrived at our hotel in the street of 
the Inquisitor. In my room everything which passes out of doors 
can be distinguished, and the noise and chattering is unceasing. 
Last night I was amused to hear an English sailor trying to com- 
prehend a Spanish companion ; it seemed evident the latter had 
given Jack Tar a dog, but Jack was complaining it did not under- 
stand English. The Spaniard said something in reply, and then 
Jack rolled down the street, vociferating ' Venga Cane — venga Cane ! ' 
In the morning, I heard an American gentleman declaring that 
something he v/as asked to do would be ' as much trouble as taking- 
charge of a lady.' I rose early, and while sitting •\^riting near the 
large open window of my room, in the highest of these low houses 
(it has a stone balcony, with a strong iron grating upon the external 
edge, closed at the top, so that nothing can ever fall out), I suddenly 
saw a tall broom, like those used by housemaids for lofty halls in 
England, swaying about within my grating; in a moment it swept 
off a little flower-pot, and dashed it to atoms in the street below. I 
rushed to see the cause of this invasion, and there stood a tall soldier, 
looking first at the fragments and then at me, with an expression of 
grief on his countenance that was undoubted ; so I looked as benignant 
as I could, but this flower-pot contained a very rare, if not new fern, 
I had discovered near Ocala, and all the way from Florida I have 
brought it on my lap, with some pains and trouble, in hopes of 
taking it, growing, across the Atlantic ; but it would probably have 
perished, sooner or later, and perhaps sudden death was better than 



PIC-NIC. 241 

a lingering one. This exterior dusting must be necessary here, 
where almost all the windows and balconies are covered by iron 
gratings : they give rather a prison-like look to the houses, but as 
the windows and entrances are each from twenty to thirty feet high, 
extending from the roofs to the ground or within three feet of it, 
having only lattices within, and no glass, so much light is admitted 
that there is no gloom. Any of the houses in this town might be 
used as fortresses, they are so strong and massive. 

We had a very pleasant pic-nic party yesterday, given by Mrs. 
Crauford, in what is called by custom the Bishop's Garden — or 
' Quinta del Obispo ' — but it belongs to the Conde de Penalver ; he 
having built a residence in Havana, does not make use of his pretty 
villa. The house is a ruin, and the garden neglected ; but this last 
circumstance makes it more interesting in a botanical point of view, 
as plants are to be found there which, under ordinary circumstances, 
would have been destroyed : I found many treasures ; some of them 
valuable seeds. Immediately after my return home, Mr. Crauford 
came to take me to the Capitan-Generale's. His palace is eastern- 
looking, like all the edifices here. Upon going into the reception- 
room, I saw about twelve chairs on each side opposite to one another 
across the room, a space of three or four yards between — one row for 
gentleman visitors, and the other for ladies. Madame de Concha 
soon came in alone, dressed simply in morning costume; after a 
little, the Capitan-Generale followed, and I was glad of his arrival, as 
I could not speak Spanish, nor Madame French, so the Consul was 
obliged to act as interpreter between us. The Capitan-Generale is a 
quiet-mannered, gentlemanly person ; he sat down by me, and we 
conversed for some time in French, he obligingly promising the neces- 
sary permits for travelling here and sketching — saying ' Nous ne 
sommes pas des tyrans ici 1 ' He assured rae of his anxiety for the 
success of England in the present war, but expressed doubts of the 
result ; and he imagines the struggle will be a long one. The Span- 
iards do not believe the EnMish understand fiohtinor, which is odd 
enough when the battles of the Spanish campaigns of Napoleon must 
be fresh in their recollection. While the Capitan-Generale was 



242 THE COOLIES. 

talking witli me, several gentlemen entered and placed themselves 
on the chairs opposite, after mutual bows ; and when I thonght our 
visit long enough, I made my courtesy, and we departed. Mons. 
and Madame de Concha were, for a short time, in England — I believe 
as exiles. Madame is sister to the Duquesa de la Vittoria. When 
I came back to the Hotel, Governor and Mrs. Fish came to see me : 
they have just returned from an expedition into the interior. I am 
afraid I shall not have completed my little tour here in time to em- 
bark with them in the next passage of the Black Warrior, for New 
Orleans. "While I am writing, I see two mulatto women with cups 
in their hands, standing at the great, wide, coach-house looking door 
opposite ; they are sharing their breakfast with a negro ; and now 
two or three more come to gossip with them. This is the way all of 
black race like to eat ; they never willingly sit down to a regu- 
lar meal — they prefer carrying their food about, and taking it at ir- 
regular hours. Nothing eatable is safe from their depredations, and 
this not from hunger, for they are always plentifully fed, but from 
their monkey -like habits. Mrs. Almy tells me no one unaccustomed 
can judge of the annoyance it is to be served by negroes, and that 
she shall bless the day when she is enabled to return, perhaps to Eng- 
land, where she will no longer be tormented by slave labour. I 
believe this to be the general feeling of masters and mistresses in the 
southern countries. For their sakes, I wish I could have hopes that 
rice, cotton, and sugar may, some of these days, be generally 
cultivated by free labour ! I iirmiy believe the boon will be greater 
to the whites than to the blacks themselves ; but I fear blacks alone 
(in the long run) can endure work under a tropical sun. 

The Coolies are a miserable race ; they perform less work, but 
are the slaves of slaves — it remains to be seen whether they can long- 
endure. I do not think people in England have any idea of the idle- 
ness which characterizes the black people. Unless forced to exertion 
they will lounge about for hours, aimless and unoccupied ; yet they 
rise with the sun. For throe hours this morning, since I got up, 
these women have been lolloping and gossiping in my sight, and 
there they will be until they find the heat too great for this kind 



VOLANTES. 243 

of enjoyment. Wlietber they have masters or mistresses I can- 
not tell ; bnt the house is large, and apparently well furnished ; 
and yet these people are idling there from morning till night, unless 
the sun drives them in occasionally. One hardly ever sees a bonnet 
worn here, and I am beginning to do without, by means of a cap 
and a black veil — to avoid being stared at. The first day I thought 
the omission impossible, but general custom soon reconciles one ; 
and yesterday I went in an open volante, a league into the country, 
in such a dress as in England I should only wear in the evening, 
with a black veil added. 

The volantes are a singular choice for the prevailing vehicles in 
such narrow streets. They are so long and so wide that it is impos- 
sible to turn ; so one set go down one street and up the next. Of 
course if a horse falls, the two wheels only are very awkward, but 
they say the poor beast generally lies still, and you have time to es- 
cape. Sometimes one carriage or cart stops the way, and there you 
must sit in patience as long as it may please these inert people to 
dawdle ; although the least energy would make way, they never 
think it worth while to be in a hurry. 

Matanzas, March 14. — At last I am really sensible of being in 
a tropical climate ! I have slept in a room with an open window 
(as large as our house doors), on a thin sacking couch without 
mattrass, pillows as hard as bricks, only a thin muslin coverlet, pro- 
tected by a mosquito-net ; and after sleeping soundly from nine 
o'clock till three, I am writing by candle-light, stars shining outside ; 
the moon will be in abeyance till we cross the sea to New Orleans, 
having fully done her duty during our last voyage. Last night I 
remained from sunset upon a kind of piazza at the top of this house, 
to watch for the ' Southern Cross.' I saw it rise rather to the east of 
south ; it then seemed to leave gradually westward, before it sank in 
the horizon, about in a line with Orion, which was gloriously bright 
almost over our heads. The Great Bear appears to me topsy-turvy, 
and becomes quite a secondary constellation here, and the Cross is 
only dimly seen, because we are not far enough \vithin the Tropics to 
catch more than a glimpse of it. The two upper stars look fine : 



244 MATANZAS. 

the two side ones moro distant from each other than I expected; the 
lowest faint, and not quite in a straight hne with the uppei' ones. 
The British Consul, Mr. Da Costa, was very polite in coming imme- 
diately ; and he remained and aided me to discover the Cross. The 
master is a Spaniard of the old country, who speaks French readily 
and a little English, besides Spanish. Upon our first arrival there 
was a long ixirler carried on in several languages l>y the party from 

Havana, which consisted of R and me, three American gentle' 

men, all old acquaintances of mine, one Englishman who crossed 
•with us in the Isabel., and who was introduced to me by Mr. Moly- 
neux, at Savannah, a Cuban, and a Spaniard. It was difficult to 
apportion the sleeping-rooms opening out upon an interior but exter- 
nal gallery, so that no one might interfere with another, and the 
poor signor was almost in a fever before that arrangement was com- 
plete. My little nest has a fine view to the west. I bribed an an- 
cient black with one eye to wipe the floors for me, and for R , 

next room, with fresh water, which cooled them considerably ; and 
we are now well lodged, without a creeping thing of any kind 
among us. 

This is a very pretty town ; the sea runs into a deep bay, filled 
by ships of many nations, come to be laden with sugar ; it is a clean- 
er place than Havana, and the blacks and mulattos less numerous. 
I did not leave the house last evening, but occupied myself in making 
a sketch of the bay from hence. We left Havana by the six o'clock 
train the day before yesterday ; reached Guinesby nine; went to see 
a cave in a chalky hill three miles fi-om the village — a fatiguing 
and difficult ex2^edition, but I found numerous flowers known in our 
gardens and hot-houses ; among them the pretty Asclepias tuberosa, 
Ipomoeas of all colours and sizes, a lilac scilla, a solamena, and other 
things new to me, and the whole country was dotted over by cocoa- 
nut trees. That neighbourhood has little other foliage, although dur- 
ing our journey by rail I saw fine mango and other trees — among 
them a palmetto as tall as the Chamserops of Florida ; it looks some- 
thing like the same species. We passed many haciendas, the plan- 
tations belonging to which were in high cultivation, great herds of 



MATANZAS. 245 

cattle and many horses feeding about them ; and there were tall 
chimneys indicating steam-engines for crushing sugar. 

On Sunday last, we went to the service on board the Vestal, 
commanded by Captain Taorapson, then moore d in the harbour of 
Havana ; the Buzzard steamer left a day or two before, and the Argus 
will remain, while the Vestal is expected at this place. It is curious to 
hear the watchmen belonging to the towns in Cuba. They sing out 
the houi's and the state of the weather in a stentorian tone, always 
preceding their announcement by a shrill and prolonged whistle. I 
observe that their voices are tuned nearly to the same intervals, though 
of course one is rather more musical than another. A thick fog ob- 
scures the view this morning — It was the same yesterday ; it indicates 
that the day will be a hot one ; yesterday the thermometer stood at 
86^, unusually high for this month, but I do not find the heat so op- 
pressive as when at 80° in England. 

Matanzas is situated in an almost circular basin, formed by low 
hills of a nearly even height, except when broken by a chasm through 
which flows the River Yamorri^to the north-west. The houses, 
like those of Havana, are almost all low, having usually not more than 
one, or at most two storeys, some of them with flat roofs, and others 
heavily tiled by circular shaped tiles, as if rows of chimney-pots were 
strung together, and laid half a foot apart. In a garden just below 
my window I see a magnificent Oleander, and a fine yellow Bignonia 
{stalls?), in full bloom. I heard an amusing anecdote with reference 
to botanical ignorance ; as a lady had heard the name of Hedysa- 
rum gyranSj next day she gravely informed a gentleman, ' that plant 
is the harum scarum gatherum.' So little attention is paid to natural 
history here that I can get no assistance as to the botanical names of 
either trees, flowers, or shrubs, and as many of the former are yet 
without bloom, it is difficult to make them out even with the assist- 
ance of Loudon ; it is the same wdth out-of-the-way fruits — one is a 
"pappy and another is a mammy, and so on ; but the local terms do 
not help one the least. 

Mr. Da Costa, the Consul, was so obliging as to take us an inter- 
esting drive last evening up heights to the north-east, from whence 



246 COCOA-NUTS. 

I was able to sketch tLe Pau of Matanza, and a fine valley beneath, 
clotted in all directions with cocoa-nut trees, but I observed few trees 
of any other kind. By a road impracticable for any other vehicle 
than a volante, with its giant wheels, we reached a villa and planta- 
tion belonging to one of the proprietors here. The foliage all round 
appeared so strange ; Tree Euphorbias, Shrubby Cactus, immense 
Cannas, and thickets of Coffee, Bananas, &c. For the first time I 
saw cocoa-nuts ; some were gathered, and I drank some of the juice 
which looked like clear water, and tasted nearly the same, with a 
slight souj^qon of sugar. I was quite surprised to see a green nut 
(placed with a hole in it over a tumbler) pouring forth such a bright, 
innocent-looking liquid. I supposed it would always have a milky 
hue. The nuts enlarge by degrees ; but it Avas a long time before I 
could find out which of the palms was the true cocoa-nut tree. 
Some said this was, and others doubted, and said it was a tree resem- 
bling the one that produces the nut, whereas, there is only that single 
cocoa that I have yet seen here. There are tall Arecas and Palmettos, 
which are probably the same as those of Florida ; and there is the 
Date [Phoenix)^ and the Sago Palm, and Bactris, but two kinds of 
cocoas I have not yet seen here. At this plantation of Mr Jinks's I 
for the first time saw sugar crushing. It was, in this instance, not 
done by steam, but by horses and mules, negro boys sitting as pos- 
tillions, laughing and shouting, and the whole affair having such a 
wild, unearthly look, though it seemed a case of enjoyment to all 
except the poor beasts concerned in this kind of merry-go-round, that 
I could fancy the employment might have been selected by Dante 
for one of the punishments of his Inferno, The driver, who received 
us and showed us every hospitality, was a handsome, good-humoured, 
intelligent-looking Cuban Creole. At Guines, where I saw a large 
plantation, all the sugar was distilling for rum, a spirit which bears 
a high price at this moment, and is therefore more profitable than 
sugar. Coolies were employed there as well as negroes, but they do 
not seem equally fitted for labour, and are more to be pitied than the 
negro slaves, for their masters are indifferent about their comfort. 
The sun set as a more magnificent globe of fire than I had ever before 



YAMORRI. 247 

seen it. There was just enougli twilight when we left the plantation 
for me to watch that we went safely down a long and steep white 
chalky descent into the valley below ; and I regretted that afterwards 
I could see nothing of the beauties of our drive, excepting fire-flies, 
which sparkled among the aloes, and yuccas, and coftee bushes, as 
we proceeded along a track, which, if the Consul and the other 
gentleman on horseback had not assured me was free from danger, 
I should have thought could hardly have been safely traversed ; but 
with the exception of every now and then sinking in ruts, and pass- 
ing over rocks, large enough to have overset an English vehicle, we 
had no difficulties, and the negro postillion and his two little white 
hoi-ses, appeared quite at their ease. We passed by two haciendas, 
in our road to the pass through which the Yamorri River makes its 
way to the town, and into the sea beyond. The name ' Yamorri ' 
is by tradition derived from the dying exclamation of a native war- 
rior who fell into the stream. It does not seem very deep. Another 
river flows along the opposite side of this place, and there is also the 
Cardinas a short distance down the coast to the south, but I believe 
none of them are navigable. I have lost time here in looking about, 
owing to the early mornings having been thick and foggy ever since we 
came, an unusual circumstance. It is too hot to stir in the middle 
of the day, and the evenings are very short, so that I shall accomplish 
less here in four days^than I should do in two elsewhere. 

3Iatanzas, March 16. — -I saw some nice plants in small gardens 
yesterday. The Copaiba is a very pretty tree, and I hope to get a 
bulb of a gigantic lily, some Crinum or Amaryllis, which they tell 
me has a purple and white flower. A Ceanothus-looking shrub has 
here the name of tree mignonette from its fragrance. I went in a 
volante to draw from the Yamorri Pass. There are caves in the 
cretaceous rocks above, one of which is so extensive that it is believed 
to pass under the whole of the town of Matanzas. Looking up from 
below, I saw seme stalactitic pillars supporting rocks above. I 
sketched one of them. In some places here the rocks look as if they 
had all been submitted to the action of fire, and this more completely 
than in Florida; for in these I see no organic remains, I think they 



248 ARRANGEMENTS. 

must all have been burnt up, while at Ocala they seem only to have 
been warmed up. I suppose Cuba to be older land than the most 
southern part of the United States, although from Havana to Ma- 
tanzas, I see only cretaceous formations — but coal is found not very 
distant from Havana, and the hundreds of miles farther south allow 
space enough for anything. This morning I am going to a planta- 
tion a few miles down the coast, south; to-morrow we return to 
Havana, and I shall have one more week there before crossing over 
to New Orleans. 

Your affectionate 

A. M. M. 



LETTER XXI. 



Matanzas, Cuba, ) 
March 17, 1855. f 

My Dear Friends, — 

I hope tlie letter wliicli I sent off yesterday will leave Ha- 
vana by this clay's mail ; it is impossible to be certain that all I 
write reaches you, but I generally send packets by the best oppor- 
tunities. I have not always time to read over my communications, 
and never to copy them, so I shall be sorry if any are lost, as they 
will be such a refreshment to my memory at home. After closing 
ray letters yesterday morning, I set off in a volante very early, and 

had a beautiful drive by the sea shore to a plantation called , 

the residence of Monsieur . The finest view I have yet seen 

of Matanzas is from a point about a mile out of the town, along 

the southern coast. ]\Ir. J was so obliging as to accompany 

me part of the way on horseback ; and as I soon got out of the 
carriage to gather flowers and pick up shells, I was quickly attracted 
by the nature of the rocks, which here border a sandy beach : 
there were fossil corals, and organisms in great variety, close to the 
sea. On a hill beyond, I found innumerable shells ; bullas nearly 
as perfect as the recent ones on the shore below ; then evident 
marks of volcanic action ; then chalk resembling that at Ocala, with 
occasional fossil remains ; higher up still, but not distant more than 
a few hundred yards, I saw a coarse kind of white freestone, which 
12 



250 MONSIEUR — S PLANTATION. 

negi'o workmen were quarrying out in large blocks for building 
materials ; then the road became exactly like the bed of a former 
river, although still rising a hill ; it was little else but boulders and 
water-worn stones, which in England would have been considered 
impracticable for a carriage ; but neither the calecero, his little thin 
white horses, nor the volante, made any objection to jumbling over 
them ; the high, strong wheels mounted up and leaped down, with- 
out damage ; and I could only hold tight, and wonder how horses 
and vehicle kept together. Before we reached the plantation, the 

soil was a rich iron-sand, just like that at Abbotsbury. M. 

told me that this soil had produced twenty crops of sugar-cane in 
succession without artificial aid. As usual, I met with a kind and 
hospitable reception : a broad avenue of Palms and Orange trees 
led up to the house ; a black nurse was in a verandah, with the one 

little boy of two years, and Madame immediately came out 

and took me into a comfortable drawing-room, opening at once from 
the front. The verandah was nearly covered by the eatable passion- 
flower {Passiflora grandilla), and M. , who was for some time 

in England, must have had English gardens and groves in his mind, 
while planting the trees of his own country, instead of imitating 
the Spanish fashion of underrating them. The refreshing verdure of 
our lawns is beyond attainment within the Tropics, but he has 
selected trees and shrubs having reference to ornament as well as 
use ; with oranges and pomegranates, and fruits, the names of which 
I have still to learn, he has associated a loquat, Mespilus (or Eryo- 
hotria Japonica)^ with the elegant foliage of the palm and bamboo, 
and the pretty weeping fir (which I never saw before, but suppose to 
be a Cryptomeria), making the middle distance unusal in appear- 
ance, and I tried, rather unsuccessfully, to sketch it. M. ordered 

a volante and took me to a forest about a mile from his house, where 
I saw all kinds of novelties — among them a Heliotrope smelling like 
Jasmine, and a prickly shrub with a holly-shaped leaf, and flower 
resembling a Dryandria, only I never heard of one of that family, 
except as Australians. To avoid being knocked down by a large 
herd of horses and oxen, who were eagerly galloping down to the 



SYMPATHY WITH THE CUBANS. 251 

River Coheinva, a fine stream, when we reached it, M. placed 

lue upon a bank, where the wild scene below could be witnessed 
without inconvenience. All the animals plunging and swimming 
about, while negro boys, looking just like bronze statues, leaped now 
on a horse, sometimes from a horse to an ox, and then into the 
water; or diving down, they made their appearance unexpectedly in 
the very midst of the beasts. I was not inclined to descend from 
my elevation till the whole assemblage, having drunk and bathed 
to their satisfaction, galloped off. 

This river is wide and deep enough to float a seventy -four, and, 
as there is very little bar at the mouth, under any other kind of 
government it would be made navigable. It is impossible to visit 
Cuba without being struck by the fact that its resources are unde- 
veloped, and its improvement prevented by mismanagement. My 
sympathy cannot but go with the Cubans, who are anxious for some 
improvement, although some political prisoners are likely to be put 
out of the way by strangulation for evincing an impatient spirit 
under the iron despotism by which they are ruled. My compassion- 
ate feelings are roused, so with every inclination for the support of 
authority, I cannot but w^ish that Europe may aid, instead of op- 
posing, the ultimate freedom of this fine island — fine, at least as to 
natural productions, but in great part rendered unproductive by the 
tyranny and ignorance of man. I observe many indications of 
Spanish cruelty, particularly towards animals. Slaves are pretty well 
treated, because their well-being is a matter of dollars in the pockets 
of their masters ; but one sees chickens tied up alive by their legs 
in the markets, and one hears of bull-fights and cock-fights attended 
even by women. These things exemplify the character of a people, 
and show how backward their civilization is. I spent the day with 

my pleasant hosts, and M. was so good as to accompany me 

back to Matanzas after dark, although he thus exposed himself to 
a double night journey over the rocky track, which I can hardly 
call a road : however, we jumbled safely back, and I w^ent im- 
mediately to Mr. Russel J , as Mrs. J had been anxious 

about my safe return. Mr. J promises to forward my collection 



252 RETURN TO HAVANA. 

of this clay at once to England, for it alone will fill a box, with 
shells, fossils, plants, and seeds. I found some difficulty in tearing 
myself away from such an interesting locality, where I have not 
seen half I should like to see. Not very far from the pass of the 
Yamorri, I understand there is still an Indian sacrificial altar. None 
of the aboriginal race are now left on the island : they have faded 
away before the more inteUigent white men, and perhaps it may be, 
in the course of Providence, that Anglo-Saxon energy is one of these 
days to supersede Creole inertness and Spanish cruelty. 

March 17. — I went by railroad back to Havana, and this time I 
tried to settle the controversy which has been waging in my mind 
between the two palms most common here. It is evident that the 
real cocoa-nut has a less smooth bark and a more plumose, falling 
foliage than that tree with the smooth white stem and stifFer leaves, 
most common all about the country ; the latter bears a smaller nut, 
with which pigs are fed, instead of the true cocoa-nut ; and a gentle- 
man I met last night says the former is called here the Royal Palm? 
and that it is not a cocoa at all. I shall find out its botanical desig- 
nation at last. I suspect it is what I first supposed, an Areca 
(Betel-nut). 

There is much of the red iron-sand all the way to Havana. We 
arrived in time for dinner, but in such a ferruginous state that it re- 
required considerable patience to wash ourselves clean. Before sun- 
set I took advantage of the pass I have received for drawing, and 

Mr. P took me up to the Fort El Principe, from which there 

is a view over Havana. Uj)on showing the order, signed by the 
Capitan-Generale, and. assuring the Commandant that I only wished 
to sketch ' la persj^iectiva,^ and not the fortifications, we were permit- 
ted to enter. 

Sunday^ March 18. — We went to the service on board the 
Argus steamer, commanded by Captain Purvis. The English and 
Austrian Consuls, with Mrs. Crauford and Mrs. Scharkenberg, Mr. 
and Mrs. Backhouse, (fee. (fcc, were also on board ; and the captain 
provided us with a plentiful lunch. The sailors sang the Hundredth 
Psalm ; and they also chanted part of the service, guided by an liar- 



' ABOLITIONIST NOTIONS. 263 

moiiicon. We visited the engine-room find macliineiy, store-closet, 
&c., &c., which were beautifully kept. The Vestal is gone upon a 
cruise. I have been told a dreadful fact, confirmatory of the blood 
and murder which are caused by our unfortunate perseverance in 
keepino- an Anti-Slavery squadron on the coast of Africa. One o^ 
our captains having been capsized in his gig, within the bar of a 
river, his only hope of safety was to swim to shore, near a barracouta, 
where he expected to lose his life in another manner. The people 
belonging to it, however, succoured him, and received him with 
kindness ; but, before returning to his ship, the slave-merchant re- 
quested his company to a distant building. Upon opening the 
door he was struck with horror at the sight of five hundred blacks 
with their throats cut. ' Do not look reproachfully at me,' exclaimed 
the man; 'this \& your doing, not mine. I would willingly have 
avoided such a massacre, but you prevented me from getting the 
slaves off. I could neither feed nor provide for them; and self- 
preservation obliged us to dispose of them as you see.' The Consul 
liere, and Mr. Backhouse, son of Mr. Backhouse, formerly of the 
Foreign Office, are the only people I have met with among either diplo- 
matists or clergy, who support Abolitionist notions. Mr. Backhouse 
n formed me that the reason it is unnecessary to fasten doors and 
windows on the plantations is, that the negroes are all safely locked 
in their respective dwellings at night. Now, I have ascertained that 
this is not so, though of course Mr. Backhouse believed it ; and 
moreover, it would be absurd ; because any one who is acquainted 
with the nature of negro houses must be aware they are so slight that 
the inhabitants can get out anywhere ; and that, therefore, it would 
be useless to make a show of locking doors. In the cities the laws 
do not permit slaves to be out after nine o'clock at night witliout a 
permit ; but even this regulation is not always enforced. In the 
evening I went to the Cortuna Valdez, a shady walk by the side of 
the harbour, and took a sketch from thence. 

Havana, March 20. — Yesterday the heat was so intense I did 

not go out till late. This morning Mr. P accompanied me in 

the barge of the Argos to visit the Cabanos, a very strong fortress, 



254 THE CABANOS. 

behind the Moro. It was once taken by Lord Albemarle, and 
England had possession of Havana for two years. At that time the 
English soldiers made use of one of the churches for Protestant ser- 
vice, which so desecrated it in the eyes of the bigoted Spaniards, 
that it has never been applied to sacred purposes from that time to 
this. In mounting towards the fortress, I found many interesting 
plants — some of them new to me. One of the pretty blue Commelinas 
usual in our gardens is here indigenous ; Ipomoeas, and Melias, and 
Bignonias, intermixed with Cactuses, are all over the banks, and 
frtiits of different kinds grow within the walls. The Governor (who 
must, I suppose, be a Spanish General) was very gentlemanly and 
polite ; much more so than the Commandant of El Principe, who 
consented to our admission with reluctance, I imagined, as if some 
degree of suspicion crossed his mind : and one cannot wonder that in 
these filibustering times everything here is carefully guarded. This 
fortress (the Cabanos) is of immense extent, much larger than the 
Citadel of Quatre ; and at present it is occupied by a large body of 
troops. It took us so long to go over it that I put off visiting the 
Moro till to-morrow. 

After dinner Mr. P took me a drive round the suburbs of 

Havana ; two other American gentlemen, acquaintances from Balti- 
more, accompanied us in another volante ; these carriages had two 
horses each, one ridden by a black j^ostilion (with his tall jack-boots, 
and embroidered swallow-tailed, short-waisted jacket), cantered in 
the old French fashion by the side, but a few paces before the 
horse in the shafts. Our boy was a true negro of the ourang-outang 
class, with a projecting muzzle, and falling-avvay chin ; he was so 

surly and obstinate that at last Mr. P got out and borrowed a 

cane from the other vehicle. AVe observed intelligent glances passing 
between the two drivers, and ours immediately improved in civility ; 
the hint was sufficient, but no verbal argument would have had the 
smallest effect. We passed by the fortress called the Altares, on the 
hill below which fifty Filibusterers, who were taken prisoners from 
boats in an attempted invasion of the Island two or three years ago, 
were shot The execution of ten out of the number would have been 



TURPITUDE OF THE BLACKS. 255 

less cruel, and probably better policy ; but it is impossible to deny 
the right of the Cuban government to execute foreigners landing on 
their territory for hostile purposes ; at this moment there are political 
prisonei-s under condemnation, whose death may be justifiable, 
Estampes, &c. 

We returned to the city by a ferry across the harbour, and in 
the evening I attended a reception at the palace. The Capitan- 
Generale does not appear to be more than forty -five ; his manner 
has a tinge of melancholy, and his position however distinguished 
must be in many respects arduous and painful. How far he is 
obliged to act harshly it is difficult to judge. He introduced me to 
General, or rather Admiral, Castanos, who commands in the port, 
and who speaks English with a good pronunciation, although he in- 
formed me it was chiefly acquired from books. 

After my return home, the American commander of the Princeton 
steamer came in. He mentioned having lately visited Jamaica, after 
an interval of ten years since he was there before, and that he was 
both surprised and shocked at the rapid deterioration of the island. 
He says the blacks are fn&t sinking into a state of gross vice and 
immorality ; and even when they agree to work upon the planta- 
tions, they Lteal half of the crops to be gathered in, and sell it in the 
most barefaced way. Ladies cannot venture out without danger of 
insult ; and he considers our West Indian Islands are on the road to 
ultimate ruin. This is the opinion of every observer I have met with 
lately who has been among them — people of different professions and 
of various shades of politics — but all in agreement upon that one 
point, and a sad and dreary agreement it is ! 

Yesterday, the boat of the Argiis^ commanded by Mr. Elton, 

took Mr. P and me to the Moro. Upon landing beneath it, I 

found the beach strewed with various specimens of corallines, some 
of them so perfect they look as if fresh. The situation of this for- 
tress is fine, though commanded by that we visited yesterday. I 
saw the windows of dungeons, where it gave me a pang to know 
political prisoners are confined ; and there is a general opinion that 
an execution will take place to-morrow, perhaps that of Pinto. 



256 POPULAR SPORTS. 

People well informed believe there is no credible evidence against 
Ramon Pinto ; but he is a man of talent as well as character, and 
the Castihan party are exasperated against him, so that there is 
reason to believe the Capitan-Generale will not refuse a confirmation 
of the sentence of death ; but with three of our men-of-war here, 
besides Americans, and considering the protection we have afforded 
to the government, could not our Consul-General object to such a 
tragedy being performed ? Surely it is sufficient to confiscate his 
estates, and sentence that noble though unfortunate man to banish- 
ment, instead of garotting him ? 

I believe fifty of the subordinate offenders are to be transported 
to the Manillas. It is sufficient to live for one fortnight under the 
rule of a despotism to be made sensible of the blessing of constitu- 
tional government. Here all is doubt and suspicion. This unhappy 
Pinto has a wife and seven or eight children, and he is said to be 
clever, brave, and well-intentioned : perhaps right in principle, 
thougli mistaken in the choice of means and the selection of time ; 
but I am assured that against him there is no accusation as to rebel- 
lion, but one of intended assassination of Concha, which is incredible. 

Upon entering the cutter again, we rowed a short distance out, 
for me to make a short sketch of the Moro from the sea, and I re- 
turned to the Caltf/i Hotel by ten o'clock. After dinner, Mr. P 

and I took a long drive round the suburbs of the city, and it was 
dark before we returned. "We passed through Guanobacova — a 
place famous for cock-fighting. There, I am told, hardly a liouse is 
without its fighting cocks. After our return, I went to take leave 
at the Palace, v.here my reception has been always obliging and 
polite. 

Areca oleacea is the palm which has given me so much trouble 
here. At last I have made up my mind it is no cocoa. This was 
my first idea ; but the difference of opinion and the total ignorance 
about vegetation here led me to doubt my own correctness. Only 
yesterday. Monsieur Sauralle, a gentleman who has paid some atten- 
tion to trees, assured me this palm, which he designated Oresdoxa 
Hegia, was not to be found in London ; yet it is there as Areca. I 



SNAKE MILKER. 25*7 

have bad this morning my first introduction to a scorpion. I saw 
something in a little basket, standing close to the dressing-table, 
which I mistook for a fossil. I touched it with an exclamation, when 
a maid (fortunately not black) saw what it was, caught up the bas- 
ket, and carried it at once to a man a few yards from my door, who 
killed the creature instantly. A negro woman would have laughed 
and stared, and have allowed it to sting me, before she would have 
remembered that a scorpion is an ugly customer. This is the first 
venomous thing I have met with in America, and it is the only one 
dangerous in Cuba ; not so bad either, I am assured, as the same 
creature in other localities, for its bite seldom proves mortal here. 
There are some snakes to be found in the island, but none venomous. 
By-the-bye, yesterday a lady from Louisiana told me that a snake 
there (she could not say if it was a rattlesnake) milks the cows, and 
that it has the power of charming a cow once milked, back to the 
same spot, where she will call the reptile as if it was her calf. A 
red appearance in the milk left behind shows what has occurred; 
but there is no danger to the life of the cow, and by being carefully 
shut up away from her snake milker, the mischief is repaired. 

Havana^ March 23. — No Crescent City has come in to-day, 
though the Isabel, fi'om Charleston, the Philadelphia, from New 
York, and the Diver, British steamer, have all arrived ; we shall 
therefore be detained over to-night. There is a whisper that another 
political sufl:erer will be brought to the scaftbld immediately. I have 
not heard particufars of that case ; but every fact which can be dis- 
covered confirms me in the suspicion that the death of Pinto was a 
murder — not an act of political justice. His last communication to 
u friend was his assurance, as a man of honour, that he died guiltless 
of those things for which bis judges had condemned him. Five 
thousand people attended Pinto's execution ; solemnly and appar- 
ently mournfully, they witnessed his firm and calm submission to the 
garotte, after having been refused the death of a soldier. This act 
must bring misery upon the heads of those who have caused it. 

I am told the British Consul had not suflScient diplomatic rank 
to warrant a protest from him. So while England is carrying on a 
12* 



258 POSITION OF ENGLAND. 

crusade against the interests of the sugar planters, and wliich really 
injures and deteriorates the black race, it is abetting murder and 
tyranny over the whites ; and because this island bears the name of 
a colony (although of much more importance than Mexico), English- 
men have been imprisoned and ruined without redress ; and if a 
British subject dies here, there is no minister capable of protecting 
his property, or of saving his widow and family from an arbitrary 
interference with their rights. "We have only power to do mischief, 
without making our influence felt for the advantage of our own peo- 
ple. This Government is, in fact, a Viceroyship. Havana (particu- 
larly at this moment) is a situation of great importance, and yet the 
British Government have no strong and powerful representative. 
Here I feel so mortified at the poor figure England makes, that I 
quite long to get away from the place. I am packing up a box of 
fossils and recent corallines collected on these shores for the London 
Museum of Practical Geology ; except by the weight of the former, 
they are in such a perfect condition, that they would hardly be dis- 
tinguished from fresh specimens. I cannot gain information where 
the older formations commence, but there is good coal on the island. 
I have picked up serpentine upon its shores, and I am told that there 
is granite somewhere towards the south. I have not seen more than 
sixty miles out of the seven hundred, to which length Cuba extends. 

Militaiy uniforms are visible in every direction, and fortresses 
bristle all round this city, yet there is no such thing as public confi- 
dence, or a sense of general security. Poor Cuba ! from the little I 
have seen, I can hardly hope that the future will be free from blood- 
shed. No simple arrangement of sale and payment will settle her 
destinies, or give her prosperity. If individuals in this state of ex- 
istence have to pass through a discipline of trial, so it appears that 
nations must gain freedom through suffering. 

The day before yesterday was stormy, with thunder and light- 
ning, fit accompaniments for that morning's work ; so I was fortu- 
nate in not embarking upon a troubled sea, which may be less 
rough for our passage if we are to go on board this afternoon. 

Crescent Oitt/, March 25. — By half-pa^jt ten o'clock yesterday 



SPANISH MISRULE. 259 

morning we got on board, being obliged to come two miles across 
the harbour in an open boat, because there is a regulation obliging 
the American steamers to coal at an inconvenient place ; and though 
this vessel would have been able to come in last night, because she 
arrived after sun3et the authorities obliged her to wait at the entrance 
till after the sun rose again, on pain of being fii'ed at. Once, a cap- 
tain, being ordered to moor himself alongside of a convict ship, re- 
fused to take that situation, and put out again to sea till the morning. 
The present Government of Cuba is permitting acts which tend 
to excite indignation and pugnacity in the United States. It is re- 
ported that some authorities have insulted and seized upon a Consul, 
and that a Spanish man-of-war has fired into an American ship, and 
that the Capitan-Generale has neither offered redress nor apology. 
Havana is a tempting prize, and the Spanish Government affording 
a fair pretext, who can wonder that there are filibustering expedi- 
tions ? Passing out of the harbour, a gentleman pointed out the 
spot where Ramon Pinto was executed. He described the scene as 
follows : — No very apparent show of military force, but the scaffold 
was erected in an open place between a large barrack and the small 
fort opposite the Cabanos, from whence troops could have been drawn 
if necessary. We concluded the prisoner must have been moved 
from his dungeon in the night, or early in the morning. When all 
was prepared, he was brought out from the barracks, dressed in 
white, with a black cross upon his cap ; his companions, only the 
executioner and one priest ; a band playing the Dead March. He 
had only to walk about two hundred yards ; he simply declared his 
innocence of the crimes attributed to him, and then after seating 
himself in the chair of death, he gave the signal ; the garotte was 
applied, and, without any apparent struggle, life soon became ex- 
tinct : for a while, I know not how long, the body was left to be 
gazed at ; that sight perhaps made five hundred Pintos where there 
was one before, and raised a detestation of General Concha and his 
myrmidons which will probably cause the extinction of the Spanish 
rule in America, and bring down retribution upon the chief who now 
exercises it. Perhaps I have dwelt too long upon this terrible oc- 



2(>0 MRS. STOWE. 

currence ; and writing as I have done at odd moments it is possible 
I may have repeated facts, but there has been no time to read back ; 
you have the feehngs and the impressions as they arose, and at such 
a moment it has been impossible to write coolly or free from painful 
excitement. Thank God, I have now left that bloody shore. 

We have a large vessel and fine calm Aveather; our captain says 
it will take three days to reach the bar of the Mississippi River ; I 
fear we shall enter it in the dark. The only peculiarity I have ob- 
served in this part of the Gulf of Mexico during our present voyage 
is the colour of the sea, which is unlike anything I have remarked 
elsewhere: it is neither green, nor sky-blue, but precisely the tint of 
a sapphire — which the captain tells me is its usual appearance ; this 
colour does not seem to be affected by either clouds or sky, for 
though we have had a calm voyage so far, it has by no means been 
cloudless, and I write on the third day of our passage to New Or- 
leans at a distance of six hundred miles from Cuba. On board, I 
have been reading Mrs. Stowe's Sunny Memories : it contains some 
pretty and true descriptions of scenes and facts in Scotland and Eng- 
land, and yet I cannot but regret that she did not meditate more 
deeply upon her own axiom, that — ' The power of fictitious writing, 
for good as well as evil, is a thing which ought to be most seriously 
reflected on,' — and not ignoi-antly used. Had Mrs. Stowe lived for 
some months among the institutions and the people which, in Uncle 
Tom^ she thoughtlessly, perhaps not intentionally vilified, she would 
have used, not misused her undoubted talents ; and as it is, she ought 
to have blushed at the fulsome flattery which called her novel ' The 
genuine application of the sacred Word of God to the several branches 
of her subject.'' — Dr. M'Neile's Address, April 1 1th, 1853. 

I did not say much "about the aspect of Slavery in Cuba, because 
my opportunities for observing it were few. In a certain sense the 
white population there are slaves, and of course the state of the 
blacks is modified by that circumstance ; from what I heard, too, 
the social morality of the Cubans is at a very low ebb, their religious 
principles wTetched, and the prevalence of immorality and irreligion 
will act and react upon the blacks as well as the whites; so I do not 



NEW ORLEANS. 261 

believe Cuba to be a country where Slavery, as a' system, can be 
fairly studied. We expect to reach the mouth of the Mississippi to- 
night : if there is no fog our captain will cross the bar ; but one 
hundred miles of the river must be traversed before our vessel 
reaches New Orleans, and I shall write no more till we get there. 

St. Charles Hoiel^ New Orleans, March 29. — We reached this 
place before three o'clock yesterday ; but owing to the tide swinging 
the Crescent City round just as she came up to her moorings, there 
was no landing till after four o'clock. I did not undress the night 
before, for our Seminole accident has made my nerves rather touchy 
at night ; and though we were off the Mississippi before eleven, the 
captain was obliged to fire a gun three times, and at last dispatched 
a boat before he could get a pilot on board.' The mouth of this 
river, and its channel for the first hundred miles, is narrow and poor 
compared with the Walaki, the St. Lawrence, or the beautiful 
Ottawa ; I am told it is wider higher up : as yet I have seen nothing 
on its low muddy banks but some thriving plantations fringed with 
neat negro dwellings. Till we arrived I did not know our steamer 
was named from the shape of the city, which is built upon the 
crescent form of the'shore. I never saw such a fleet of steamers as 
line its wharves, no, not even at London or Liverpool : perhaps this 
is owing to their being all moored together ; but there is more 
shipping here than I have observed in any of the other ports except 
New York and Boston. The place, though flat, is handsome and 
apparently well-built ; but although it has been for so many years 
attached to the United States, and the Creole population has not 
now a majority, yet they are an influential ingredient, and give the 
tone to manners and customs ; so that New Orleans has more of a 
Southern air than even Charleston or Savannah. 

Yours aflectionately, 

A. M. M. 



OVO-^ C'^QO C-^^O QO O^O^ Ck^OO Q^ 



LETTER XXII. 



New Orleans, March 31, 1855. 

My dear Friends, — 

I left the St. Clair Hotel yesterday. Mr. Robert G , 

brother to my Virginian friend, called to bring me to his pleasant 
and coBQfortable house, and in what may be called the ' West-end ' 
of New Orleans. I find myself established, and quite at home, with 
every luxury and attention that a traveller can require. The 
weather is still as fresh and cold as an ordinary dreary March with 
us, though more roses are in bloom than we could find so early in 
the year in England. Several loquat trees {^Evyohotria Japoniccc) 
placed round the garden are only just beginning to ripen their de- 
licious fruit, with its golden, or rather apricot-coloured hue ; in most 
seasons, before April, peas and strawberries are plentiful, but they 
are not yet to be had. My ideas are rather puzzled about seasons : 
after the dog-days in Cuba, I feel as if this ought to be autumn, not 
spring ; but I have no doubt that an interval of colder weather will 
be salutary to our constitutions before we pass the approaching 
summer in the Northern States. Instead of growing thin during 
my travels, I was beginning to fear that, on my return to England, 
I should make my appearance in too portly a style ; but three w^eeks 
at Havana have obviated that fear. In my room here it is pleasant 
to have a four-post bed, which brings English customs to mind. 



SLAVERY V. FREEDOM. 263 

I never saw anything but French bedsteads in the North. No 
curtains are required ; a full and wide mosquito-net, without opening, 
and which is put back during the day, and looks like a transparent 
bonnet-box over the pillows, is drawn forward at night, and protects 
me completely from the invasion of insects. This is a better con- 
trivance than those at Cuba, where I found a persevering mosquito 
would often succeed in establishing itself within the curtains. The 
wood of which the bedstead is made looks like a kind of walnut ; 
the top has a heavy projecting eave — this, I am told, is advantageous, 
as it gives room for the iron rod underneath, upon which the mos- 
quito-net is hung. While I am writing a black woman enters : 
they walk in and out of your room, just as the fancy takes them, 
without knocking; and the door must be locked if one does not 
wish to be intruded on. The negroes are curious, and like to come 
and ask questions, and see what you are at, so ' Emily ' inquires if I 
will let her make the bed while I am in the room ; being as well 
inclined for a little talk as herself I agree. She tells me the coloured 
people are well content and happy ; that she was ' raised in Virginny,' 
and came here from Richmond ; that masters and mistresses about 
are very tender of their people ; that she has got her husband and 
three children, babies almost, the youngest an infant, then in the 
house ; she does odd jobs after dinner, but she says that on the 
plantations it is not often the people work after dinner (she is 
munching something all this while) ; they have usually task-work, 
which can be quickly done if they choose ; that the black popula- 
tion don't like bacon — ' they likes to have fresh meat three times a- 
day, and what they likes beside.' She seemed utterly astonished 
when I told her that the English working-people could seldom get 
meat at all, and that they had not as much firing as they chose, &c. 
&c. ' Lord bless you, missus, that would never do at all here : 
why, some of the coloured ones have got a'most as much jewellery 
as their missuses ; they gets their own way tolerable somehow ; and 
they very often desires to be sold when they be affronted.' ' Emily ' 
thought that in England slaves would have it all their own way 
entirely ; and this is the idea the darkies have of freedom : plenty 



264 SLAVERY V. FREEDOM. 

to eat and drink, finery to their heart's content — no work. Here 
they despise the free negroes. One woman was offered her freedom 
in my hearing : she took the ofi'er as an insult, and said, I know 
what the free niggers are, missus : they are the meanest niggers as 
ever was ; I hopes never to be a free nigger, missus.' A slave 
quarrelling with another black, after calling him names, at last sums 

up as the acme of contempt, ' You be a d d nigger without a 

master ! ' This is the consequence of the fact, that free negroes 
being idle and profligate are generally poor and miserable. A com- 
mon reproach among them is to say, ' You he's as bad as a free 
nigger.' I think if any unprejudiced person sees the state of the 
free black population in Canada, and then makes a tour of a few 
months in the Southern States, with an open e3^e and unprejudiced 
mind, he will come to the conclusion that things are better than 
names ; and that if by a ukase he could carry back all the darkies 
(from ignorance and misrepresentation induced to run away from 
their masters), he would benefit the blacks, whatever he might do 
for the whites, who, I believe, would be very much averse to receive 
these contaminated negroes again, except from motives of duty and 
compassion. 

Mrs. Stowe gives great credit to a young lady who, becoming 
the heiress of a ^qw slaves, gave them all their freedom. I have 
heard of a young lady who succeeded to the possession of negroes, 
and nothing else ; by emancipating them she might have gained a 
fine character from the Abolitionists, and have cast ofi" not only a 
responsibility, but a heavy expense ; instead of which she sought oc- 
cupation for herself, laboured hard, and earned the means of exist- 
ence for her poor black dependents, as well as her own living. Which 
of these two ladies acted the more Christian part ? Last night, con- 
versing with a very intelligent gentleman who has travelled in Cana- 
da, I remarked that the free negroes there were in a much more de- 
graded, suftering, and irreligious state than any slaves I have seen ; 
and that they often reproach the whites with having, by fidse pre- 
tences, inveigled them to their destruction. He said, ' I will tell you 
a circumstance which occurred relative to that matter. A confiden- 



SEPARATIOX OF NEGRO FAMILIES. 265 

tial black, Avho was treated with the greatest kindness by his master, 
took it into his head one day to run away, with the idea of estabhsh- 
ing himself in Canada. When in that country 1 accidentall}^ fell in 
with him, acting as waiter in an hotel : we immediately recognized 
each other ; and, with tears in his eyes, he said, ' Oh, sir ! tell of the 
family; how is this one, how is that?' I answered his inquiries, 
and then asked how he got on. ' I get on in the season pretty well ; 
I make some mone}^, but very bad in the winter. Oh, sir ! beg my 
dear master for me ; beg him to forgive, and take me back again.' 
And I feel sure that those negroes who are not so for gone in drunk- 
enness and profligac}^ as to have lost all self-respect, would generally 
make the same request ; exceptions only prove the rule. My woman 
on the Detroit River was taken care of by a husband, who, having 
occupation as a black pilot (an employment for which their strong 
local perception peculiarly fits them) was the only really contented 
black I met with ; but she lost her children, and may, perhaps, end 
in being motherless ; while, in slavery, they would have been healthy. 
As to the separation of families, I see that great pains are taken to 
avoid that evil. I believe that it hardly occurs more frequently than 
in England from other causes: and I imagine a law might be en- 
acted to make it less easy here. So in this case, as in every other 
social abuse, the governing power should regulate, but not wholly 
forbid, or the result will be the encouragement of twenty evils where 
there was one before. I have seen a great many visitors to-day ; 
among them some very agreeable people. 

A2:)ril 1. — A dinner-party here included the Bishop and Mrs. 

P , Professors Biddeil and Linton (the latter from St. Louis), 

Colonel Seymour, Dr. Smith, &c., &c. I am invited to accompany 
a party into the State of Mississippi to-morrow or Tuesday, as an 
expedition, and gladly accept. At nine o'clock Mr. Miltenberger 
called to take me to the Opera, to see the last two or three acts. I 
have been little gratified by the operas elsewhere in the States. At 
New York, Grisi and Mario were wretchedly supported : and the 
dresses and choruses were so miserable that I was hardly inclined to 
do more than just look in at the house here ; but I was most agree- 



260 CUBAN WATCH CRIES. 

ably surprised. The Italian Opera in London was never better 7nis 
en scene, though Donizetti was given in French. I think the opera 
was La Reine de Chypre. Although the 7J?'i;wa donna -vvas neither 
Grisin or Sontag, her voice, expression, and acting, were all good ; 
her toilette perfect ; indeed, as a whole, I never saw a piece better 
costume ; being close to the stage, the details were made evident to 
me; and three fine male voices of different kinds, gave effect to 
the principal characters. I must go again, and know more about 
this opera than it was in my power to find out last night. 

The house, though not large, is well arranged, but after a diffe- 
rent plan from any one I ever saw before. I was told that being 
the last day of Lent, the Creole ladies were not there. This morn- 
ing the weather is warm, some rain the night before last has softened 
the air, and I suppose now the summer will come here. 

By-the-bye, I got a lady to write down for me the extraordinary 
and terrific screams of the watchmen at Havana and Matanzas. I 
must let you have the benefit of them, premising, of course, that the 
hours vary : — 

* Las diez y media y sereno.' 

' Las once y nublado.' 

•Las doce, y la ciudad esta siempre fidelisiina.' 

As to the last assurance, T think I should not be sorry it should 
be a doubtful one. 

There is a report that the President of the United States has 
ordered some American men-of-war to go and sink the Spanish 
frigate which fired into the steamer. I don't much wonder if he has 
done so ; and really I think Europe might be inclined to join with 
America in bringing the Spaniards to their senses, for as despots 
they are quite as bad as the Russians when they dare to show their 
will, and in cruelty worse. I must tell a, story, which will exemplify 
the mode of government and internal state of Cuba more graphical- 
ly than anything else I can write. 

Not long ago there was a servile emeute among the negroes of a 
plantation ; the authorities immediately seize the ringleaders, torture 



CUBAN LAW. 2C7 

them with cat-o'-nine-tails, with nails in them, cutting flesh off their 
backs, inquiring all the time, ' Did so and so instigate you — or, so 
and so ? ' The poor blacks at first answered truly, ' No one told us 
— we did it ourselves.' At last the name of a planter forty miles off 
was mentioned, and not knowing him, to escape from torture one 
said, ' Yes, massa — he, massa.' This gentleman was busy on his 
grounds about three o'clock in the afternoon, when forty soldiers 
entered, and asked his name ; he gave it, and civilly invited them to 
take some refreshment ; but they immediately put a rope round his 
neck, and proceeded to attach it to one of their horses. He entreated 
that if they meant to take him prisoner, they would at least al- 
low him to mount one of his own saddle-horses. But no ; they 
actually trotted this man of property and education forty miles, 
dragging him after them. When they arrived at the place where he 
was to be confined and examined, eleven other people were selected 
to stand with him. The negroes were then brought in, and desired 

to point out Mr. . Fortunately for him, being quite unknown to 

them, they selected the wrong man ; but if by any accident they 
had pitched upon him, his life would have been the forfeit. As 
soon as his non-complicity was thus ascertained, the negroes were 

taken out and shot without further ceremony, and Mr. was 

allowed to find his way back to his own home. This is Cuban law 
and justice. It may be guessed what kind of a chance was afforded 
to Pinto. 

Yesterday, April 1st, was Sunday ; Bishop P called and 

took me to his church, where the service was like ours, with the ex- 
ception only of a few omissions. The interior of the edifice was 
ornamented with suflScient painted glass to throw a cool light into 
it without making it obscure, and all the decorations were in good 
taste. The 1st of April might have been May with us — the tem- 
perature just high enough for enjoyment. 

April 2. — Mrs. G took me to visit a lady in the neighbour- 
hood, in whose garden I found many things new to me, principally 
shrubs. A capsicum as small as a pea, which looks hke something 
different from what we call bird pepper ; and a privet, which, though 



268 DINNER AT THE BRITISH CONSULTS. 

the leaves resemble a Chinese privet, I think is hardly the same, as 
it is quite a timber tree, and very handsome. I gathered many 
seeds. 

I dined with the British Consul, Mr. Miiir, and met his mother- 
in-law, an agreeable old lady, though she is of the Wilberforce and 
Hannah More school, almost the only person I have met Avith south 
who still advocates abolitionist ideas ; her son-inlaw, a clergyman, 
and a granddaughter did not agree with her in opinion. I afterwards 

drank tea with the Bishop and Mrs. P . One remark of his 

struck me : he said, that for the sake of the Christian and moral 
welfare of the Insh emigrants and the African negroes, he would 
desire to pass a majority of the former through the kitchens, and all 
the latter through the plantations, of the United States. The Irish 
paupers are so ultra in their politics, and so saucy in their manners, 
that they have given rise to the ' Know-nothing ' raoven:!ent, which, 
however reprehensible in its mode of proceeding, is only a practical 
illustration of the impossibility of fairly carrying out the idea of 
equality. These emigrants are without doubt, as a class, the most 
disagreeable and overbearing people in the Union. They are speci- 
mens of the true democrat when united with iOTorance — levellino^ 
all above themselves, and insolent to those they fancy beneath them. 

Bishop P w^alked home w'ith me ; no bonnet, and hardly a 

shawl was required ; the evening balmy and pleasant — ^just perfect 
in temperature. 

Osylca^ April 5. — I date from one of those marvellous places in 
the Bush, which in this part of the world are born, educated, and 
grown up in the course of a few months. When I landed at Bos- 
ton, there was not a tree felled where this town is now in existence ; 
yet I am in a comfortable hotel, entertaining thirty or forty guests 
daily at its tahle-cVhote. This house, the woman said, 'had been 
built full five months.' The town as yet does not consist of more 
than fifty houses ; but there are two hotels, three or four stores, a 
good railway station, and everything else looking as if established 
thirty years, excepting that as yet there is no church, and the stumps 
of trees are still left in all directions. But I must bemn from the 



RAILROAD ACCIDENTS. 269 

beginning, and tell the adventures which have obliged me to sleep 
at Osyka, with an uncertainty as to when I am to get back to New 
Orleans. As I had made two pleasant acquaintances there — Dr. 
Smith and Dr. Eiddell (the latter has bought a house and property 
eighty-six miles off, in the Mississippi territory, where he means to 
move his wife and family when the heat sets in) — they invited uie 
to accompany them in an expedition to see a pretty country beyond 
the pine barrens, which stretch away as f^ir as the State of Missis- 
sippi ; a railroad has been opened in that direction during the last 
year. We started yesterday at seven o'clock; at a station about 
half-way here, one of the points being wrong, the engine ran off 
and plunged deep into a quagmire ; the train was brought-up with- 
out damage to any one except a poor boy, who was at that moment 
oihng the cow-catcher : he imprudently jumped off, and he was so 
seriously injured that he is since dead. We got out, walked to the 
station, and in about half-an hour another engine was attached to 
the cars ; we reacked Osyka by two o'clock, though, at my request, 
the conductor bronght-up the train for a few minutes to get some 
specimens of a very curious water-plant, something between a 
Pothos and an Orontium, which Dr. Riddell agrees with me is new : 
it resembles Loudon's description of Pothos acaulis, having leaves 
quite destitute of nerves, but the spike is hexandrous, not tri- 
androus. 

There was some difficulty in getting a conveyance five miles to 
the pretty location, which Dr. Riddell promises to call ' Chatawa' 
(Silver Spring). There is a beautiful spring close to the house, and 
various mineral springs, containing iron and soda, at a short distance 
from it. I walked about a mile and a half through the forest, de- 
lighted by the briUiant butterflies and flowers. I found old acquaint- 
ances in our gardens at every step — Viola cucullata, Sisyrinchium 
anceps. Verbena aubletia, Houstonias, Phloxes, Alliums, and Tril- 
jiums, a curious Assarum, and a plant with two leaves {^Podophyl- 
lum^ May apple), which they tell me produces a fruit so excellent, 
and so fragrant when ripe that it can be scented yards away. The 
people call it May apple. I shall find out its trivial name, but at 



270 DETENTION AT OSYKA. 

present it has only just put forth leaves, and there is no sign of a 
flower. It is not more than a foot in height, with toothed fohage as 
large as a cucumber leaf, but smooth, shining, and variegated. At 
' Chatawa,' I found a numerous German-Polish family — children of 
all ages — fathers, mothers, uncles, aunts, nephews, nieces — very 

hospitable people, who have sold their house to Dr. M , with 

the intention of flitting to Osyka, which will soon be a place of 
consideration. I had a comfortable bed, and all the necessaries of 
life, though not many of its luxuries ; and, after twenty-four hours 
of enjoyment in a lovely spot, with every promise of increased 
beauty under better cultivation, I got into a wagon and left the 
banks of the Tangipahoa River and the mineral springs which 
surround it, with regret that I could not follow the projected line of 
the railroad (as yet only complete to Osyka, so called by the first 
proprietor after an Indian beauty), thirty miles farther to the river 
Balsala, where I understand the scenery is still fine ; and perhaps 
I might have done so instead of spending another day and night 
here, for when we arrived at half-past one o'clock yesterday to take 
the two o'clock cars, no train had arrived, nor has yet arrived from 
New Orleans. Either some accident, some damage to the loco- 
motive, or some obstruction, has occurred ; and now, at eight o'clock 
on Thursday the 5th, we are still detained, without being able to 
guess when we are to have the means of return. Still, I am not 
bored — there is plenty of interest and amusement ; for I find fortifi- 
cation agates and flint fossils in the railway-cutting above, besides 
the flowers of the pine barrens around, and as long as the cars 
which were to fetch us have not sunk in some of the swamps we 
yesterday traversed (when the train danced up and down on the 
line more than was pleasant, from the boggy nature of the ground), 
I am content to wait here for twenty-four hours more. 

New Orleans, April 6. — The cars came up to Osyka so as to 
bring us back here by seven o'clock last night. It seems they had 
other accidents during their return on the 3rd, by running over cattle, 
till the locomotive jumped into a bog, fortunately breaking its 
couplings, so that the cars were left on the line, where, of course, the 



ASYLUM FOR WIDOWS. 2*71 

passengers sat up all night. Between damaging engines and killing 
cows, the economy of leaving railroads without protecting them by 
fences, in a country where wood is of such easy attainment, appeai-s 
to me very short-sighted. Thunder-storms began early to-day ; they 
accompanied our journey, and have been pealing and blazing all 
night. I never saw such lightning ; and the torrents of rain are 
sufficient, I should think, to overflow the Mississippi and swamp New 
Orleans, situated as it is lower than the river. I cannot understand 
how this city keeps out of the water. I hear about banks called 
levies, but Holland must be a joke in comparison to this amphibious 
place. 

A2Jril 7. — Yesterday, being Good Friday, was strictly kept here : 
that is not the case, I believe, in any other State of the Union. The 
day was gloomy, but not wet ; an afternoon rainbow gave promise 
of fine weather, which is realized this morning, and I hope to see 
more of the environs of New Orleans than I have done as yet. 

April 8. — Another execution at Havana. But however severe 
and cruel the Cuban policy may be, there seems to have been suffi- 
cient proof that Estampes was engaged in a conspiracy against 
Spanish despotism, and therefore his condemnation stands on diff"er- 
ent grounds from that of Ramon Pinto. 

I visited a widows' asylum, not long opened here, which appears 
to be one of the best regulated charities I have ever seen. It does 
not separate mothers from children, but offers a home to both, only 
premising that the former are to contribute their labour, as washer- 
women, sempstresses, &c. &c. towards the support of the institution. 
A few pensioners without families are sheltered and provided for, 
when incapable of exertion ; but the system is one of assistance to 
those who are willing to work. 

Order, cleanliness, and comfort reign throughout the asylum; 
and an excellent Scotch matron superintends it, under the direction 
of a committee. The children, from infants of a few days to those 
able to be employed, are well trained and taught under the eye of 
their mothers. All the inmates expressed themselves with grati- 
tude; in some cases respectable aged widows had their private 



272 UNHEALTHY LOCATION. 

apartment; in others we saw mothers with their own two or three 
children. Widows without famihes have a separate eating-room, and 
live at one side of the house, away from the noise of children. 

I heard an amusing story yesterday, exemplifying negro charac- 
ter. A gentleman had ordered one of his black gardeners to widen 

a ditch, and as he complained of the difficulty of the job, Mr. 

enofasfed a white labourer to assist him. The two men Avere left to 
work on together. After a while, the master went to see how the 
job got on : he found that the Irishman had done three times the 
work the other had accomplished. 

'How is this, Charles?' said Mr. ; 'you have done very 

little. See how much more the other labourer has finished.' 

' Ah, massa, that very true ; but white man use to work. You 
can't 'spect me — a nigger — demean myself like he.' 

And it is generally so : the negroes consider themselves as privi- 
leged, instead of being degraded by their situation. A black com- 
plained that his master did not use him well. ' But how is that ; 
pray do you not get good bread ? ' — ' Yes, massa, pretty good bread.' 
— ' Have you not enough, then ? Are you overtasked ? Do you 
get as much meat as you hke ? ' — ' Ay, massa ; but then the meat 
too fat — me don't 'prove fat meat.' When masters or mistresses 
want change, it is a common occurrence for them to apply to their 
negroes, who have almost always silver about them. 

It is observed that many of the Irish emigrants have the same 
unfounded notions of their prospects in America, as those entertained 
by some negroes, of England. An Irishman begging, was offered a 
job of work ; he accepted it, but said he thought it ' very hard.' — 

* Hard,' said his employer ; ' what do you mean ? Did you come 
here and expect to pick up gold in the streets ? ' — ' No, not alto- 
gether that, but I thought if I asked for it, it would be given me.' — 

* But suppose I divided what I have with you — what would happen 
when that should be gone ? ' — ' Arrah !' said Pat, ' I don't exactly 
know — but I suppose then we must divide again ! ' 

I cannot wonder that this place is unhealthy during the hot sea- 
son ; there are deep gutters and stagnant waters at the sides of al- 



273 

most all the streets. It would be a marvel if yellow fever, or some- 
thing of the kind, did not prevail. Whether the situation is so low 
that good drainage is impossible, I cannot say ; but I only wonder 
that the population is not decimated every summer. I should be 
sorry to take my chance in such a swamp. 

On Sunday I attended a church where the singing, though good 
in its way, reminded me more of a Roman Catholic than a Protestant 
house of worship; it was not congregational, but operatic. 

A2:>ril 9. — I have been occupied all the morning writing letters 
to England. The Illustrated JSfews of the 10th of March gives an 
apocryphal report of the ' Dangerous Conspiracy at Cuba,' in which 
Ramon Pinto is asserted to have announced his intention of assas- 
sinating the Capitan-Generale in his box at the opera. This is the 
authorized version, I suppose ; but no person acquainted with the 
character of Pinto will beHeve it true. In the first place, even his 
enemies admit that he was a man of sense, talent, and principle ; and 
those who know the present state of Havana must be well aware 
that such a plot would have been absurd and silly, as well as wicked. 
Anonymous and false stories are easily got up and propagated when 
a man is dead, and cannot refute them ; but the time will come for 
such accusations to recoil upon the inventors. 

Certainly the black servants in this country are more petted and 
humoured than even the domestics of Europe ! There is an inge- 
nious kind of diorama of the Pilgrini's Progress now exhibiting 
here. Six household blacks, belonging to a lady here, were to go 
and see it. In England three servants would have gone one even- 
ing, and three another; but here they preferred to enjoy the sight 
all together, so the mistress and her daughters undertook every de- 
partment of household work, even to that of the kitchen, that the 
black ladies and gentlemen might gratify their wishes. I could 
write fifty stories of this kind, which prove the kindness and conside- 
ration shown towards the race called slaves. The name of ' dark 
children ' would, in nine cases out of ten, be more appropriate. It 
is the fashion with us to cry up the Spanish system in preference to 
that of the United States. Whatever the laws may be, I feel sure 

13 



274 REMARKS ON SLAVERY. 

there is more of oppression and cruelty to be detected in Cuba than 
in all the other Southern States put together. We must bear in 
mind that the best laAvs will not prevent the possibility of their 
violation ; and I sometimes doubt whether more cases of cruelty and 
overwork, and even starvation, among apprentices and ' maids-of-all- 
work ' in Great Britain might not be discovered, than we could de- 
tect in the households and plantations here. The buying and selHng 
operation is certainly very unpleasant and revolting to our ideas, and 
the whites here dislike it ; but it is curious how very little is thought 
of the matter by the blacks themselves. It is not true that women 
can be sold away from their children ; but slaves often urge their 
masters and mistresses to sell them for some fancy or freak, and a 
gentleman to-day had a quarrel with his negroes, because he wanted 
to set them free. ' It's very hard, master ; you have a right to keep us, 
master ; ' and at last the majority positively refused to go, even though 
master offered them a ' fit-out ' if they would accept their freedom. 
I believe they are quite right. With all my love of hberty, if I was of 
the black race, I should much prefer being a slave upon one of the Sou- 
thern plantations than any free black man or woman I ever met with 
in America. So, in now thinking Slavery not so bad an institution, 
I act up to the maxim of ' doing as I would be done by.' This week 
I am going to visit plantations in this neighbourhood, but I have now 
seen so much and thought so much upon the general question, and 
also of the character of negroes as a race, that I do not think any- 
thing I may see in Louisiana, Texas, or Kentucky, can much alter my 
conclusions. My wish has been to seek after truth ; I suppose many 
will doubt my having attained it, but one thing I know, that it has been 
souglit for by an unprejudiced mind, without reference to any ulterior 
consequences. No pains or fatigue have deterred me from investi- 
gation. I give you the fruits of it — consequences are not my affair. 

Last night I went to see the diorama exemplifying the Pilgrims 
Progress^ in the hope that it might make me more worthy than I 
am of a work which has been one of the most highly valued of all 
literary productions; but in vain — excepting the Parables, and one 
or two stories in the Spectator, I never could enjoy anything allego- 



THE MISSISSIPPI. 275 

rical. A brief allegory is ver}^ well — but an allegorical volume! I 
never could wade through it ! 

iVll the houses here, except some in the old town and centre 
streets, have gardens — not very extensive, generally from a quarter 
to half an acrej but the soil and climate is such that everything 
grows luxuriantly. Magnolias, jessamine, roses, oranges, lemons, 
loquats, and a hundred other things beautiful and good ; and then 
the mocking-birds and butterflies, and the pretty little chameleons ! 
For this month it is delightful to be at New Orleans; but one month 
in the year in this city — that should be all. I would not be a resi- 
dent here for any temptation that could be oflfered me. I wonder 
whether the Mississippi will ever descend from its trough and make 
an excursion to Lake Pontchartrain ? It has wandered about here 
and there in its time, and it is a marvel to me how this same river 
now keeps up above the surrounding country. It brings down so 
much clay from above, that when the water runs over, it makes a 
kind of boundary for itself at the edge, and this, with the help of 
artificial levees, makes the great stream stay in its course. But I am 
disappointed to find it so ugly and muddy ; they say this is all the 
fault of the Missouri, which darkens and spoils the complexion of the 
Mississippi after their union. 

Thursday, April 12. — Yesterday I went to a wedding. Like all 
others I have attended, the ceremony (episcopal) took place in a 
room ; otherwise it was very pleasing. The bride and bridegroom 
remained for lunch, but no toasts were given. The ladies all sat 
down, waited on by the gentlemen, and when we left the room the 
gentlemen took posesssion of the table. After dinner, I walked to 
call on the Bishop and on Mrs. Polk. Visits in these countries are 
usually paid in the evening, to avoid the heat of the sun. It was 
the same in Cuba. 

Yesterday, a clergyman who has been long in the employment 
of the Colonization Society for establishing free negroes in Africa (the 
Bishop presides over the one here), called to make his report. His 
views accord with those I have advocated. He is convinced that 
there has been too hasty emancipation, and that the Libeiian plan 



276 PLANS. 

has been much injured by a want of discrimination in the choice of 
the blacks sent out there. He told us a mulatto from Louisiana was 
anxious to keep his people under the same control vvhich benefits 
them here, to avoid throwing them into the contamination of 
Liberian society ; but the charter of freedom in that Colony is so 
strict, that his only resource was to get far enough to be out of the 
reach of mischief, and to bind his people by the apprenticeship law, 
which, though good as far as it goes, does not tend as much either 
to the happiness or the ultimate good of the negro as the slavery 
system well administered. When this is the opinion of Ministers of 
the Gospel, and of Bishops, not themselves slaveholders, is it reason- 
able of the abolitionist theorizers in England and America to fancy 
that their opinion and their conclusions are the only true and scrip- 
tural ones ? 

On Sunday next, I find that a steamer sails for Texas. Upon 
good advice, my phin is to land at Galveston, across a large land- 
locked bay, and up a bayou to Houston, where we can procure a 
stage to a Texas Washington ; from thence I can reach the capital, 
Austin, on the Colorado River, a place which though bordering 
upon the inaccessible forests, I am told has great beauty of scenery 
in its neighbourhood. I wish to avoid wild Indians and poisonous 
snakes, so I must not attempt to penetrate inland ; it is said that 
from Austen we must come down somewhere between the two rivers 
La Bara and Colorado, to Matagorda Bay, where a steamer will be 
attained to bring us back here, touching at Galveston. The voyages 
must be about two days and nights each way. You will think me 
adventurous to undertake this; but these new countries are so 
interesting to a person fond of Natural History and fine scenery, 
that one makes up one's mind to undergo some inconvenience and 
difficulty for the great pleasure with which the journey is repaid. 
Then there is the stimulant of an only opportunity ! The idea that 
I never again can hope to have another opportunity for transatlantic 
tours, makes me willing to undergo a great deal, — and on the whole 
I think southern scenery will be better worth my while than the 
Falls of St. Anthony, or even Lake Superior. I walked this morning 



A PATERNAL SLAVEHOLDER. 277 

from the St. Charles Hotel to the cottage, and found Professor Rid- 
dell returned from Chatawa. We looked at specimens of Orontiiim 
aquaticum, and decided our Osyka specimens are not the same 

Orontium as that. I then went to see Mr. L , who promises to 

take me to his plantation to-morrow. 

Neiu Orleans, Aj)ril 14. — We missed the train yesterday by two 
minutes, owing to the ferry-boat which crosses the river to the 
station being too late ; but Mr. L being a director of that rail- 
road, got us into a baggage truck of a succeeding train, in which, 
comfortably seated on boxes, we reached our destination. Mr. 

L carried a bag of sugar-plums for the little negroes. We saw 

more than fifty under ten years of age on the two plantations. 

The black people seemed to consider Mr. L more in the light of 

their father than their master, their black hands held out to him and 

Mrs. F , without either doubt or fear, and at every corner some 

darky was to be met, with a request or an inquiry. We returned 
in the evening, after a pleasant and satisfactory day, having visited 
two sugar estates, at a distance of from twenty to twenty-five miles 
from New Orleans on the Mississippi. 

On hoard the Steamer Louisiana, hound for Texas, Ajyril 15. — 

Yesterday was a busy day. Before nine in the morning Mr. D • 

took me a drive to dig up some roots of a pretty Iris [Hexagona), 
which I had seen flowering in one of the canals which surround the city. 
These canals, half natural and half artificial, are communications 
between the river and the lakes at the back of the city : they are 
called Bayous. At one o'clock I went to the apartments of some 
ladies in the St. Charles Hotel, from whence the British Consul ac- 
companied us to the stand on the course, from whence we saw a 
race between two celebrated horses, Lexington and Leconte. A few 
days before, the former won a match against time, by going four 
miles in seven minutes and twenty seconds ; he now beat his an- 
tagonist with such ease the first four-mile heat, that the owner of 
Leconte requested leave to withdraw his horse, and the people were 
disappointed of the expected second heat. I was glad, being quite 
content that the fine animals should be excused further contest. 



278 A niGH-METTLED RACEK. 

Though I have often been at English races, I never before saw a 
horse more graceful, or more beautifully formed, with such apparent 
gentleness and good temper, and yet with such an air of conscious 
superiority as this Lexington : he ran like a deer, without either 
effort or straining, and his firm, elastic, reaching step in walking, 
gave one confidence that it would hardly be possible for any other 
horse to match him. Yet he has four very white feet, which hitherto 
has been considered a bad sign ; his colour a bright dark-bay, with 
■white star on his forehead, not a very small head, but with ears 
well-placed ; a fine large tail ; not bony-looking, but I was told his 
backbone is remarkably large ; fifteen hands three inches high ; one 
eye full and wild, but the right eye less convex ; nostrils large ; 
jawbone uncommonly wide ; shoulder strong and very oblique; he 
has not a long back or long legs, but his action is quite beautiful, 
so powerful, free and elastic, as if movement was no trouble to him. 
Thus, I have WTitten you a rather groomish history. I don't know 
that I ever took so much pains to describe a horse before, but really 
this one was worth the pains. The ground was much crowded ; it 
is a two-mile course — no, by-the-bye, the horses went three times 
round to make up their four miles. The situation between the New 
Orleans Cemeteries and Lake Pontchartrain ; near, and upon the 
course, are some fine live oaks ornamented by the drooping Tilland- 
sia. Li the evening I went to the Opera, where I saw many Creole 
beauties ; but the opera was a new one, which I did not admire as 
much as La Rcine cle Chypre. This morning at eight o'clock Mr. 

G took me on board the Galveston steamer, Louisiana. The 

river was calm, but very muddy ; it is about as wide here as the 
Thames at Greenwich. The town and shipping looked gay under 
a brilliant morning sun. I meant to send this letter from New 
Orleans, but forgot to do so, and now I shall try to get it oft' from 
Texas. 

Yours affectionately, 

A^M.M. 



LETTER FROJI ENGLAND. 279 



Extracted from an English Letter, hj permission. 

JIarch, 1855. 
To me much has happened, within the last few months, showing- 
manhood and womanhood. This expedition of nurses — this woman's 
crusade in the service of the sufferers by war and pestilence ; Flor- 
ence Nightingale entreated rather than requested by the government 
to take the command ; in one week the necessary preparations were 
made — Protestants, Catholics, Sectarians, all forgot their isms, and 
verified the story in Evenings at Home. Look at the consequences, 
independently of the direct object. A woman is called upon by the 
public to take a lead in the humane department of war, amidst diffi- 
culties and dangers which it has hitherto been thought indelicate for 
a woman to encounter, yet she is of the true feminine type — of a 
caste accustomed to the luxuries and refinements of life, not blighted 
by misfortune, in the ^agour of youth, not exalted by party influ- 
ences, for she belongs to no party. The truth has done it. Perhaps 
the two finest instances of heroism in the British campaign are these 
— the death of Sir William Young when giving the precious draught 
to a wounded Russian, receiving in return a mortal shot ; the abso- 
lute loneliness of Dr. Thompson, left with hundreds of the dead and 
dying, and certain to be visited by Cossacks, fulfilling his ministry, 
escaping then, to die a few days after of cholera ; and what can sur- 
pass the exploit of the more fortunate Lieutenant Maxse, riding 
through a tract of country occupied by the Russians, to carry in his 
own breast (for writing was not safe) orders from Lord Raglan to 
the fleet ? And the poet has mingled his breath with the cannon's 
roar and the last pulsation of the soldier's heart : a soldier from the 
ranks was heard by one near him on the battle-field, to utter with 
his last breath — ' Footprints on the sands of time ; ' the soldier was 
from Brighton, and the writer of the account did not know the words 
to be Longfellow's : he had heard them quoted in a sermon of 
Robertson's. 



280 ADDRESS TO AMERICANS. 



ON THE DEATH OF NICHOLAS. 

He fell like a column which, firm at its base, 

"Was unshaken a moment before, 
No restige of crumbling decay mark'd the place 

Where it stood — the wide world looking o'er. 

'Twas not for tlie hand of a mortal to dare 
The red bolt of vengeance to grasp; 

He seiz'd it unshrinking — he vow'd not to spare, 
But fatal fire burn'd in tliat grasp. 

For Power is a Nemesis, sent to destroy 

The will that submits not to law : 
Once more 'tis reveard! Oh, profane not with joy 
What nations should witness with awe ! 
March, 1855. 



ADDRESS TO AMERICANS OF THE UNITED STATES, 

ON THEIR REPORTED WANT OF SYMPATHY. 

' Am I my brother's keeper ? ' says the New World to the Old ; 
It cannot be, it cannot be ! your hearts have grown so cold 
That ye can hear, without one pang, the dirge across the wave 
For England's bravest sons who find on Eastern shores a grave. 

Has every drop of Saxon blood been chased from out your veins? 
Are not our ancient glories i/ours, although ye scorned our chains? 
Ev'n then ye proved one ancestry, a kindred bond of yore, 
With those bold men of Runnyraede who Freedom's charter bore. 

Oh ! by that name — by ever}- field our noble fathers won, 
Ere yet your fearless bark of faith had sought the Western sun, 
Disown not now the common cause — betray it not to might, 
Nor dare to raise a neutral flag when Wrong contends with Right. 

A. I. N. B. 



LETTEK XXIII. 

New Orleans, ) 
April, Q,1S55. f 

Mr DEAR Friends, — 

At last your letters dated January have reached me ; pro- 
bably more will come by a steamer which I see has arrived at 
Boston : it is well that a treble or a double set did not come at 

once. Only now I am made aware, for the first time, of 's 

resignation of the editorship she volunteered. I don't think I should 
ever have thought of the publication if she had not proposed it, but 
I could not write to her what I did not see or think. I am sorry, and 
think she had better have trusted to my endeavour to tell the truth, 
which, if it is not the truth, can never hurt any cause : but the subject 
in question is too serious a matter to be blinked for the sake of any in- 
dividual friendship or individual interest, and at any cost I must sacri- 
fice the opinions and impressions of friends to my own honest convic- 
tions. I might hesitate or doubt, if I trusted only or wholly to my own 
unaided judgments and perceptions ; but when these are justified by 
the opinions of nearly all the people who appear to me in other 
respects the best and wisest on this side the Atlantic — for though 
authority may not be much, evidence is a great deal, and I feel sup- 
ported and encouraged by a hope that I may at any rate do some- 
thing to counteract the evils which in my judgment have arisen out 
of mistaken and superficial inquirie=!. Northern clerorymen in Florida, 
13* 



282 TRANSATLANTIC SYMPATHY. 

Scotcli ministers in the JSTortL, and bishops with dioceses each as 
large as all England ; men devoted to religion, charity, and learning 
— self-sacrificers, fearless, incorruptible ; men who have never quailed 
or hesitated in the most difficult and awful paths of duty, when 
cholera lay on their right hand and yellow fever on their left; 
Bishops of Georgia and of Louisiana — Elliott, the nurse, the con- 
soler, the comforter — walking calmly about among the pestilential 
corpses of thousands of his fellow-citizens — can such a man as this 
be blinded by interest or prejudice to say that apparent slavery is in 
most cases real freedom to the black man, and a severe trial of 
responsibility only to the white ? I cannot help fearing that we 
have been running a tilt against civilization and the best interests of 
religion, whilst in our ignorance we have fancied ourselves the 
champions of Christendom ? Some of my friends in the North say 
it is the abolitionists only who have sympathised with England during 
her late sorrows. I am glad they have felt sympathy ; but I find 
sympathy also among the people we have ill-used and vilified, and 
that is even more touching and precious than the kindly feeling of 
those whose mistakes we have petted and encouraged. I am afraid 
what I am writing will not please any of you, but do not fancy I 
have been hood-winked and cheated into an advocacy of Southern 
institutions, when, wholly unknown and unsuspected, I have seen 
with my own eyes, and heard with my own ears. Of course I can- 
not write half the evidence I have collected ; evils I do not deny ; 
and where are they not to be found ? 

It is now as cold here as Christmas, and as cold as November. 

Many thanks for the Multwm in Parvo. does not say if she 

undertakes the editorship which repudiates : if not, it must 

wait till I get back. I do not wish to wear out 's eyes or 

patience, but, as to avoid a bad return for the hospitalities shown 
me, I have mentioned here the intended publication, a strong 
interest in the matter has been expressed, and I am assured by my 
American friends that they will not complain of my abusing them 
a little, because they believe that I shall not do so spitefully, which 
is certainly true ; but I would not ' marry a slaveholder,' as 



NEGRO CHARACTER. 283 

recommends, dej^end upon it, if I could ; a situation which involves 
such a trial of patience and philanthropy would be quite beyond 
me. I think I should turn savage myself if I was bound to be 
served for the rest of my life by darkies ; only their childishness 
could induce me to bear with them. You should hear R illus- 
trate the comforts of negro servants ! and in my private opinion no 
earthly power can ever wash the blackamoor white, morally or 
physically ; though it is possible, by great pains and perseverance, 
to advance them to inehaldisiii. I dare say I provoke you by re- 
peating the same things over and over again : it is so difficult to 
remember what I have written. 

I am going to stay for a while with the brother and sister of 
my American acquaintance in London : her gratitude has been so 
unbounded that I believe it is that w^hich has made me popular 
in the United States ; we met at New York, and I hope we may 
meet again before I return home. I think of staying here until 
the weather improves : it is too cold to think of stirring yet ; but 
I intend by-and-bye to get a peep at Tennessee and the Mammoth 
Cavern. This is a short letter, but it shall go by the next post. 

Yours affectiona,tely, ' 

A. M. M, 



K 



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LETTER XXIY. 



Galteston, Texas, U. S., I 
Aprilll, 1S55. f 

My dear Friends, — 

I ought to have sent my last packet from New Orleans, 
instead of which, owing to hiiny, I have brought it here, from 
whence I am afraid its despatch will he more distant and less 
secure. After a passage of thirty-six hours we arrived here last 
nioht. Although the weather was very fine, there was a swell of 
the waves which made the majority of the passengers unhappy. 

R says she was worse than in crossing the Atlantic. I was 

not positively ill, but rather uncomfortable yesterday ; and as I hear 
of a mail route from Austin, the capital of this State, via Natchi- 
toches and the Red River, I mean to return to New Orleans that 
w^ay ; we shall then only have three or four miles of a river steamer 
instead of the sea-voyage. But it has only been by falling in with 
a gentleman living in that territory that I have ascertained the 
possibility of a land journey. I was told even by Texas residents 
at New Orleans that there were no conveyances ; but arrangements 
in these new countries are so rapid that circumstances one year ago 
may have been all changed in the last few months. As yet I have 
only looked out of the window of the Tremont Hotel. This seems 
a clean, flat, sandy place ; the houses irregularly built, and all of 
plank, but comfortable-looking, as these wooden houses are, unless 



PARISIAN PERRUQUIERS. 285 

they are set on a blaze. There are many savage tribes to the north- 
east of this State, but the theatre of the present war between the 
United States and the Indians is one thousand miles off. Beyond 
Austen there are Comanches, Pawnees, Kesways, Cherokees, and 
Creeks, and towards Missouri, the Osages ; but the Choctaws, which 
tribe borders upon the Red River and the settled lands, are the 
gentlest and most civilized of all these nations ; so, while the other 
tribes are in a way to become extinct, the Choctaws keep up their 
numbers. They boast that they have never embrued their hands in 
the blood of any white man. They have comfortable houses and a 
settled polity — sheriffs, &c. (fcc. ; and there is an idea of some day 
admitting them as a State into the Union. I saw one of them 
attending the educational <?onvention at Washington in European 
dress, and looking like a gentleman. I should like to visit that 
people. On board the Louisiana I conversed with a military man 
who has been through great part of Florida. From him I learned 
that the river which runs up by Appalachicola is for some distance 
like a gulf; he does not know if it is lost in the swamps by AlH- 
gator Swamp towards the Altamaha and Savannah rivers, but that 
is probably the case ; and after seeing the narrow channels which 
divide some of the islands south of Florida, it is easy to believe that 
it also was once separated from the mainland. 

The distance from hence to New Orleans by sea is about four 
hundred miles. Galveston is an island. I have just returned from 
a drive along some fine sands which extend for miles upon the ilat 
shore, where there must be excellent bathing. The population of 
the town appears to be a mixture of Germans, Dutch, French, Eng- 
lish, and Americans. Almost all the tradespeople I spoke to were 
of the first-mentioned nation. I was surprised to see such a number 
of hairdressers in proportion to the size of the place : there are three 
within a stone's-throw of our hotel, — ' Hyppolite and Batiste,' 
from Paris ! where hair is ' instantly dyed,' and wigs, toupets, and 
fronts are well made, &c. &c. Artificial proceedings for outward 
adornment which are now little practised in France and England, 
appear to have emigrated to this side the Atlantic. 



286 BAYOU NAVIGATION. 

Washington, Texas, April, 19. — We left Galveston in the 
Houston steamer at four o'clock, to go fifty miles up the bay, and 
forty miles up the bayou, to Houston. These bayous are very curi- 
ous. I observed one of them at New Orleans, but not having 
ascended it in a boat, I was not fuUy'aware what odd sea-ditches they 
are. They must be peculiar to this coast — I never heard of them 
elsewhere — and I imagine their navigation is one of the most 
singular in the world. It was a bright starlight night when we 
ascended that which leads from Galveston Bay inland. Is at upon 
the prow of the vessel, with another lady, from eight o'clock till 
midnight, too much interested to think of either fatigue or damp. 
Our steamer, near two hundred feet long, was na\igated the whole 
way through a channel hardly more than eighty feet wide, though 
deep enough to float a man-of-war. Negroes holding braziers of 
blazing pine-wood stood on each side the vessel, illuminating our 
passage, the foliage and even the beautiful flowers so near that we 
could almost gather them as we floated by ; a small bell was ring- 
ing every instant, to direct our engineers ; one moment the larboard 
paddle, then the starboard, were stopped or set in motion, or the 
wheels were altogether standing still, while we swung round the 
narrow corners of this tortuous channel ; the silence of the border- 
ing forests broken alone by the sobs of our high-pressure engine, 
which is less expensive in construction, and enables a vessel to draw 
less water than a low-pressure. Now and then a night bird, or frog 
croaking with a voice like that of a watchman's rattle, accompanied the 
bells and the escape valve. But human voices were awed into silence 
during our solemn progress, which seemed to me to belong neither to 
the sea nor the earth — it was, indeed, a kind of amphibious proceeding. 
A downward steamer once passed us : I was glad we did not meet 
at one of the narrowest places, for there, I believe, they sometimes 
edge by one another, absolutely touching ; but this navigation, how- 
ever extraordinary, is considered peculiarly safe. The depth of 
water being so great and so still, it is difficult to understand how 
these bayous have been formed. They are deep trenches running up 
into the interior — Nature's canals — no streams come in at the ter- 



ROUTE TO WASHINGTON. 28*7 

mination, and the water is always salt or brackish. In two or three 
hours after our arrival at Houston, we were obliged to get into the 
mail for this place ; so, coming in the dark and setting out before 
daylight, I know little of Houston. It is said to be pretty, but 
must be flat, for soon after leaving it we entered upon prairies which 
extended for fifty miles : fine grass and beautiful flowers, fertile 
though sandy j^lains. Once or twice, when we stopped to water the 
horses, I got out for a few minutes, and while the rest of the party 
dined I rushed back to gather Avhat I could ; but it was very tanta- 
lizing to me to pass all kinds of new plants without being able to 
possess myself of them. In the few opportunities afforded me, I 
got about twenty : one or two of genera, and the others of species, 
either unknown or little known in our gardens. 

It was ien o'clock last night before we reached Washington : 
the driver declared we must start again at three this morning, so I 
rebelled, and have let the mail proceed to Austen without us. I must 
give up that capital, however picturesque the scenery may be, and 
content myself with visiting General Samuel Houston, at Indepen- 
dence, twelve miles farther than this place, and then turn back to- 
wards the Red River. It is useless to run through a greater extent 
of country without pausing long enough to see it ; and w^e must be 
back at JSTew Orleans by the end of the month. The route here 
from the sea-shore is very thinly peopled — no towns, no villages ; 
and only an occasional settlement here and there, mostly Dutch. 
After leaving the prairies we came to a very pretty district, resembling 
English park scenery; fine scattered trees, and woods with the 
brio^htest and most luxuriant verdure I have seen in America. At 
times the oaks and the sand reminded me of Kent ; but these oaks 
are not the same species as ours, yet are the Texans fine trees. The 
dwarf ' Black Jack ' is abundant all about. We passed the Brazo 
River in a ferry-boat, left, for the convenience of the public, without 
a ferry-man. It was large enough to admit the coach and four 
horses, with the passengers, who got out, and a rope guided the 
whole across a quiet narrow river. During our passage the planet 
Venus appeared to hang like a diamond upon one of the horns of a 



288 HORNED FROGS. 

young moon. They remained for a while in close proximity, but I 
do not believe they ever quite performed an eclipse. I think the 
planet appeared for some time in conjunction, hanging like a diamond 
on one of the moon's horns, which afterwards passed above, or Venus 
went below, whichever it might be. A fancy crossed my mind that 
this was a good omen, beautifully emblematic of the Star of Chris- 
tianity, touching and rising over the Mahometan Crescent ; but I 
was obliged to get into the carriage, and I could not then see the 
finale ; both had set before we reached Washington. As we came 
along, one of the gentleman passengers, at my request, caught a 
singular little reptile for me, which is here called the horned frog, 
but it has a tail, and is not more like a frog than the gelsemine is 
like jessamine. I shall try to reconcile it to live and become my 
fellow-traveller. 

Since I wrote the above, I have been spending two days at a 
small town called Independence, and there a boy gave me another 
of these creatures, which will be a companion to the first ; and I 
hope to get them safely to England, an oflfering to Mr. Owen. Yes- 
terday they both eloped from a tin box ; so, as nothing in the shape 
of a cage could be procured, I went to a store, bought a large metal 
sieve, and persuaded a carpenter to let it into a circular piece of 
wood, grandly enough made of the cedar, which is used for common 
purposes in this country : the carpenter's shop was perfumed by its 
shavings. The sieve, wath the sand at the bottom, is an airy and 
pleasant abode for my prisoners ; and I can watch their evolutions 
without difficulty; they seem gentle, harmless little things, and 
being crustaceous, and not slippery-feeHng, I have no objection to 
them. Their appearance is most antediluvian, with their fringes and 
horns, and birdy-expression of countenance. 

I spent two pleasant days at Independence, where I boarded 

R and myself in the clean, though simple abode of a Mr. and 

Mrs. Holmes ; he is building a house, in which he means to receiv^e 
boarders and travellers. In the meanwhile (although Mrs. Holmes 
was occupied with an infant only a fortnight old) he gave up his own 
parlour — a canvas and boarded room, covered by a nice clean mat, 



FOSSILIZED FOREST. 289 

with a door opening at once upon the high road ; a couch for my 
bed, and muslin curtains — half crimson, half white — across the win- 
dows. This room was quite free from the odour of tobacco, and 
very neat. 

I called upon Mrs. Houston, and found that the General is absent 
at Huntsville ; but I Avas invited to take tea, and I spent the greater 
part of my time with Mrs. Houston and her pleasant family-party ; 
she was so kind as to lend me an excellent horse, by which means I 
saw much of the neighbourhood ; and this morning I rode twelve 
miles across the Awah River and swamp, to seek for a fossilized forest 
and for flow^ers. A gentleman accompanied me who was an excel- 
lent backwoodsman and guide. We crossed the swamp and river, 
which would have been impassable during a less dry season ; and 
before long we saw a wolf, and a singular bird, called a water-turkey ; 
it has a head and form resembling that bird, but it has also web 
feet, and such a power of remaining under water that it will dive for 
ten minutes at a time. We soon came to the petrified forest, which 
is said to be ten miles in extent. I found fine specimens of fossil- 
wood, whole trunks of trees, and large branches. The weight of a 
bullock-wagon passing along a track, had crushed one of these fossil 
trees, and I gathered up some specimens. All these stone trunks lie 
prostrate. Further on, three mocassin snakes lay basking upon some 
mud in the channel of a small river, below our path ; they looked 
venomous, though inert ; and I felt glad to be fairly out of their way. 
A pretty small pair of deer's horns had been dropped near a bush, 
and I persuaded my guide to pick them up, but he having no great 
liking for unnecessary trouble, hung them upon a tree, with an assu- 
rance that we must pass the same way in returning; but he forgot 
this, and returned a mile to the right, so I lost them after all. Though 
the weather was sultr}^, and our ride tiring for the horses, they would 
not touch water at any of the lesser streams we crossed because 

(Mr. D said) wild beasts, such as panthers, wolves, and 

bears, had drunk there. We saw the tracks of such animals, but 
there is no danger of meeting them, as they take care to get out of 
your w^ay. The only beings who crossed our path during this long 



290 A LONELY SITUATION. 

ride were a gentlemanly-looking boy, about twelve years old, accom- 
panied by two negroes, all on horseback ; tliey were seeking horses 
which had strayed in the forest. We went as far as some ancient 
Indian mounds; and I found Phlox Drummondi, indigenous, upon 
a small sandy prairie ; in colour a dark ruby, very beautiful ; each 
plant was a samU annual, not more than half a foot high, yet I con- 
clude it is the original of all ours. We got back safely to Independence 
by three o'clock, having been on horseback since five in the morn- 
ing, but I had been too well amused to think about fatigue. 

Hmitsville, April 22. — This is a pretty scattered town. We left 
Independence yesterday evening, slept at Washington, and came on 
in the mail at three o'clock this morning. The Brazo was again to 
be crossed in a ferry-boat. A mile from thence one of the horses 
became ill, but after lying down almost immovable for a quarter of an 
hour, he got up and went twelve miles without any apparent diffi- 
culty. About half way we met General Houston on horseback^ 
attended by his negi'o groom. Nearly all the country between 
Washington and this place is fine rich prairie land, interspersed 
with picturesque oaks ; it resembles Somersetshire, Kent, and Wind- 
sor Forest by turns ; the grass abundant, and beautifully green. We 
saw some deer; and, at one place in the water again, two of those 
poisonous mocassin snakes ; I also heard of bears and panthers, and 
of a black snake, a kind of boa, ten feet long, which moves with 
great rapidity, and throws itself upon deer and cattle, and has been 
known (though rarely) to follow and attack people. We reached 
this place just before sunset. At a small log-house, in a lonely situ- 
ation, a ladylike woman and her child, a girl about ten years old, 
got into the carriage. We were surprised to learn that, in the absence 
of her son of seventeen, for college attendance, this lady lived entire- 
ly alone with her daughter ; she has learned to fire off a gun, in 
case of emergency, but she confesses that the alarm and uneasiness 
consequent upon her lonely life is more than she can bear much 
longer. The roads here are by no means bad ; we had a very com- 
fortable coach, well-horsed and well-driven, and there is really no 
difficulty whatever, except fatigue, in traversing this part of the 
country. 



CROCKET. 291 

Crocket, Texas^ April 24. — We left Himtsville by half-past six 
yesterday morning, and arrived here by moonlight early in the 
evening. With the exception of scenery at Trinity River (which we 
crossed, as usual, in a large ferry-boat), the drive to-day (through 
deep sand, and in swampy places upon shifting corduroy roads) was 
monotonous and uninteresting : ^ve had three companions in the mail, 
rough-looking, but courteous, well-informed men ; all of them Texan 
agriculturists ; one had served in Florida in the Seminole war, and 
had lived much among the Indians : another, a bright-looking young 
raan, was returning to his farm and a father eighty years old, after 
two years' wandering upon the frontier line of Mexico, hunting and 
shooting. He had been among companions who could not persuade 
him to accompany them to California ; but he said a wild life had 
great charms for him, and that he should find it difficult to settle 
down at home. He thinks Texas the finest State in the Union, as 
it is the largest in point of extent; and that railroads and more 
people are all it wants. We passed many cotton plantations during 
our journey to-day, and large numbers of cattle, apparently of the 
Holderness or the Durham breed. Dairies are little thought about ; 
it is cultivating beef, and oxen for draught, which is the object, not 
milk, cream, or butter. One hardly ever sees cream in America — 
never in this State. Upon arriving at an hotel, or rather tavern, in 
Texas, one is shown into a room where the mistress (usually very 
young) acknowledges the arrival of visitors, and ofiers a chair ; but 
it would be quite beneath her dignity to go with you to your room, 
or even to see that you have necessary comforts ; she ' will desire the 
servants to attend.' After a while a negro girl, or perhaps two or 
three, will show you a bed-chamber, and hang about to watch you 
and your packages; and it is usually necessary to scold or speak 
sharply before they will bestir themselves to ' fix the chamber ;' and 
if you are not careful to put your things out of the reach of curiosityj 
a bevy will assemble as soon as your back is turned, to amuse them- 
selves with your cap, bonnet, or perhaps your combs and brushes. 
The ' lady ' sits at the head of the table at tea or supper, but it seems 
quite an oflence if you suppose she knows anything about the bill, 



292 ALEXANDRIA. 

or even respecting modes of travelling or distances : to any such 
inquiries she will say that ' You must ask at the office,' or ' Inquire 
of Mr. So-and-so — she knows nothing of such things.' So, though 
the blacks make good servants if they are strictly disciphned and 
well watched, yet at these hotels they are careless and troublesome 
beyond measure. Twice during this tour, when the night departure 
of the mails allowed passengers but an hour or two of rest, I was 
just asleep, when a black woman would come screaming at the doors 
waking me, saying she wanted to come in to ' find the blacking-brush 
which is left under your bed, missus,' or to ' look for a quilt,' prob- 
ably to use as a table-cloth, or it may be only an excuse to gain 
entrance. I positively refuse to let them in, but then I am complete- 
ly aroused, and there is small chance of sleep afterwards. 

Jpn7 21. — On board the Rapid steamer. Red River, Alexan- 
dria. — After our long fatiguing journey, we are fortunate in getting 
accommodation in this comfortable steamer, which will take us down 
the Red River to the Mississippi, and so back to New Orleans. 

Alexandria, Monday jnorniiuj. — I go back to say that we arrived 
at this place by moonlight, after four days and nights' hard travelling, 
but in coaches so good and so well appointed that, although the roads 
were very rough and dusty, we had no cause to be frightened, except 
in passing the loose plank bridges, most of them with no pretence of 
a rail to prevent vehicles and horses from going over the sides ; but 
we were assured that accidents are of rare occurrence, and these 
coaches have such fine horses, and such admirable drivers, that I 
never travelled at night with such confidence as through the wild 
forests and natural roads of Texas. As yet there is no other road- 
making than cutting down trees actually in the v/ay, the stumps of 
which are often left a foot high, to be shunned by the driver and 
horses, who learn from experience how to avoid them even in the 
dark. 

After Crocket, we left the more open country ; but all the way 
to Huntsville the soil is a red sand, with rolling hills covered by rich 
forests, but the timber is not so thickly set as to be drawn up with- 
out leaves or branches ; and we only occasionally passed through a 



SNAKES. 293 

pine barren. Natchitoclies is a very pretty town : the houses with 
nice gardens, and the drive through open woods, containing a great 
variety of trees, for some miles along a raised terrace, from which 
one sees a fine hilly country in every direction, is very interesting, un- 
til you come to that which my fellow-travellers informed me was the 
most beautiful twenty miles of all, and then 1 was rather disappointed 
to find that its beauty consisted only in rich land, and fertile cotton, 
sugar, and maize fields. 

Upon reaching a bayou which falls into the Red River, we drove 
along the shore of its muddy slow stream — at present so low from 
the long drought, that it is like a great ugly ditch, with snake fences 
and acres of red flat fields on our left. 1 thought of the American 
who considered Salisbury Plain the most lovely district in England. 
Part of the former picturesque tract is dotted by cotton plantations 
and comfortable-looking abodes. We saw occasionally gangs of 
people at work in the fields, under a driver, but all seemed contented 
and merry. I pitied the overseer, who sat idle upon his horse, and 
thought I should prefer being one of the labourers. The black wo- 
men generally dislike being taken as house-servants ; they prefer the 
work and the more general society of the fields. We saw two mocas- 
sin snakes in the water — one large snake, which is only accused of 
eating up chickens, and another big enough to be a boa. 

Several rivers were crossed during the day ; Angelina, Black 
River, and Bayou Sabine. This would be a very favourable path for 
emigrants into Texas, as a hilly country is less liable to fevers, and the 
people would be more easily acclimated. A Mr. Hall, at New Or- 
leans, is spoken of as an excellent adviser for new settlers. Such ad- 
venturers should arrive before December, come straight up the Red 
River from the Mississippi as far as Alexandria, from whence they 
would easily reach a favourable locality. A party of thirty emigrants, 
who could purchase about three hundred acres of ready cleared land 
for about 60Z., and divide it among them, would have a much 
better chance of immediate comfort and prosperity than any one in- 
dividual taking the whole quantity ; and if there is a carpenter 
among them, he would be the most successful of all. I should much 



294 BIRDS AND SNAKES. 

prefer settling in Texas to any other part of the Union I have seen, 
unless it was the Highlands of Virginia. There is certainly more 
chance of fevers in the South ; but if people come in the early part of 
the winter, and are not imprudent, they will be tolerably safe. Game 
abounds here, and fish in all the streams. 

I have at last ascertained what is meant by the Chinquapin — a 
nut which has been frequently mentioned, but till now I could never 
fit any tree to the name. It looks like a chestnut of a small dehcate 
kind. I have discovered that it is the Castanea pumila. In a rich 
prairie, some miles -beyond Independence, beyond the district called 
Atewa, I found a beautiful Phlox, of a lich velvety crimson. It may 
be that one described in Darby's Botany of the Southern States as 
' Pilosa,' or the original Drummondi, but I should call it crimson, 
not purple. It appears to be confined to the locality above named. 
I have not seen or heard of it anywhere else. A few miles south of 
Independence a beautiful bright sky-blue Ixia-looking flower, unlike 
any Sisyrinchium I ever saw, though I think it must be one. Texas 
can hardly yet have been thoroughly botanized, so that it is not im- 
possible for me to fall in with new plants. I brought the two little 
Crustaceans on my lap all the way from Washington. They appear 
in good health, and tolerably w^ell content with their sieve. I think that 
they must be examples in the reptile creation (as the family of Alli- 
gator Gars are among the fishes) of forms which are generally by- 
gone. They occasionally accept a fly as food, and I am told they 
will eat ants and ant-eggs, but, like tortoises, they seem very indepen- 
dent of meals, and quite as well content without as with them. Fear 
does not appear to seem a trait in their character. They do not try 
to escape from my hands, or to sufi"er from being taken hold of. 
Their little horns and bony excrescences are, I suppose, considered 
sufficient defence. They are the gentlest and least aggressive crea- 
tures I ever met with. 

We are hospitably sheltered on board the Bapid, but she has 
engagements which will detain her here till to-morrow morning, so 
I must be content in the meanwhile to make acquaintance with 
mocking-birds, ' whip-poor-wills,' alligators and fireflies, all of which 



RED RIVER. 295 

abound on the Red River ; and I have also found one or two more 
flowers new to me, by walking on shore this afternoon. On the 
shore, too, I saw trails of snakes across a sandy path. One must 
have been very large ; but as we kept the road we were not afraid, 
for these reptiles generally get out of the way of intruders. 

April 28. — We began moving down the Red River, towards 
the Mississippi. The two days before, our steamer was occupied 
taking in freight — cotton, sugar, and molasses — and a large por- 
tion was put into a barge attached to the Rapid, to prevent 
her drawing too much water in passing a shallow. When that 
was accomplished, the additional cargo was shipped, and the 
barge left behind. Alligators were plentiful along the shore to-day ; 
pretty white cranes and occasional water-turkeys accompanied our 
passage. A gentleman on board described a bird he had shot in 
the neighbourhood of Red River, which must.resemble the Apteryx 
from Australia, to be seen in the Regent's Park Zoological Gardens, 
except that it is smaller. 

Before the junction with the Mississippi, the Red River opens 
out into what is called Old River, because it is believed to be an 
ancient bed of the Mississippi. We have now got into the main 
channel of the latter stream ; but its shores have not yet become 
flat and uninteresting, for we are still in the rolling country of red 
sand, from which the Red River derives its appellation and muddy 
complexion. 

Ajyril 30. — Just arrived by five o'clock at New Orleans, after a 
quiet and pleasant voyage. Nothing remarkable yesterday, except 
the town of Baton Rouge, which is prettily situated on the banks of 
the river. It boasts of the State-house and a fort, and is considered 
the capital of Louisiana. I observe that the local governments gen- 
erally hold their sittings at those places which in point of size are 
third-rate. There is a certain jealousy of the influence of large 
cities, which prevents them from being selected for legislative meet- 
ings. The Mississippi banks are much prettier about a hundred 
miles above New Orleans, where the chalky formation, which follows 
the alluvia], and precedes the red sandstone rocks in all the Southern 



296 SCARCITY OP "WORKMEN. 

States and in Cuba, begins to rise above flat plantations of cotton, 
maize, and sugar. 

After leaving the Red Banks, I saw no more alligators, though 
I believe they are occasionally to be found below. We have been 
fortunate in a bright moon, which has almost turned night into day. 
I have seen no fossils either before or after the red sand in Texas or 
Louisiana, but I daresay there may be some, as I have before found 
plenty of nummulities, echini, pectens, &c. I suppose all these 
formations are what the geologists call Eocene. I should like to 
speak of new chalk as distinguished from old chalk, for it seems 
pretty clear that they are made much after the same fashion, only 
the chalk of England is an elder brother, and has black flints and 
diflferent fossils from the younger one, whose flints are brown ; but 
I suppose this proposition is very ungeological. A gentleman here 
has given me specimens found in sinking the Artesian well in New 
Orleans ; and though it has been sunk nearly two hundred feet, still 
it produces only sea-sand, and broken or unbroken shells. The 
Mississippi appears to have travelled about a good deal in his time, 
and I should not wonder if some day he should take a fancy to join 
Lake Pontchartrain, and perhaps he may move across the city of 
New Orleans. 1 have seldom time to read over what I write, and 
therefore my letters may contain repetitions; if so, you must excuse 
them. All I saw of Slavery in Texas confirms previous conclusions. 
Workmen are so much wanted in that fine country, that it would 
seem impossible to abolish slave-labour, at any rate for many years 
to come: perhaps some Africans might be benefited and improved 
by being brought there. The old settled States are naturally un- 
willing to be troubled with fresh importations ; but I think Texan 
agriculturists might be willing to take charge of them. It seems to 
me that kind and good people I have known do not yet understand 
the real bearings of this Slavery question. I daresay in former times 
there were more abuses than at present : it is the slaveholders who 
come from the North who prove the least patient and most severe 
masters; so I suppose abolitionists judge by what they know of 
them : of course there are much stronger ties of affection between 



LEITER ON SLAVERY. 297 

masters and servants who have been born and bred together, than 
between those whose immediate tie has been only a pecuniary one. 
I must copy a letter which has been lent to me by a gentleman here, 
in answer to some inquiries addressed to sisters by cousins in London, 
after the perusal of Mrs. Stowe's novel. 

It is well written, and embodies the opinions and feelings of the 
great mass of masters and mistresses in the Slave States of America. 

' My dear Cousixs, — 

' We render justice to the benevolent and philanthropic no- 
tions which have led you to write to us in deprecation of Slavery ; 
and though our lot, like the Patriarchs of old, is cast in a land of 
bond and free, we believe we may venture to assure you, that our 
human feelings and Christian sympathies have not been weakened 
or put aside. We must, however, express our surprise that you, and 
your sober-minded, cool-judging country people, should have allowed 
yourselves to have been so much excited by a work of liction, how- 
ever skilfully wrought out, and that you should have been led to re- 
gard it as a true picture .of negro life in America. We have never 
either seen or heard of any such scenes as are depicted in the ro- 
mance you refer to. How can we believe that such black saints and 
white demons have ever had existence, except in the excited imagi- 
nation of the authoress of Uncle Tom ? Slave-trading and slave- 
dealers are regarded with as much disgust here as with you, and as 
to the rupture of the marriage tie, to which you allude, it is the re- 
sult (when it occasionally haj^pens) of misfortune to the owner, or of 
crime in the slave ; and in your country, separations of families are 
caused in a similar way. It is the exception, not the rule. We have 
read of such things in England, as men selling their wives in a public 
market, with halters about their necks ; but surely it would not be 
just to charge such revolting practices upon the English nation. So 
far as we have had an opportunity of judging, there is much less, 
rather than more, misery and distress among our slaves than among 
your labourers : they are generally well-treated, happy, and content ; 
14 



298 LETTER ON SLAVERY. 

and certainly self-interest, if no other motive, must induce their own- 
ers to treat them well. Religion is cultivated among them, and in 
our Sunday-schools classes of black children under a white teacher 
are common. In fact, one of us offered once to take such a class ; 
but the superintendent deemed her services more useful to the class 
she then had under instruction. Indeed, our sympathies are much 
more frequently and painfully excited by the misery we witness 
among the poor, ignorant, destitute emigrants who come to our 
shores from Europe; many of them (it is said) shipped off by Union 
Workhouses to avoid the expense of their maintenance. 

' You must bear in mind, dear Cousins, that this Institution of 
Slavery was left to us by our fathere, and that England introduced 
it. One of the grievances charged upon her in the first Draft of the 
Declaration of Independence was this very institution ; and Great 
Britain only followed (after many years) the early act of our Govern- 
ment prohibiting the Slave-trade. At the period of the Revolution, 
Slavery prevailed in nearly all the States of the Union : in a few 
yeais it was abolished by seven of them, and but for the ill-judged 
ao'itation of the North, it would ere this have been done away with 
in Maryland, Virginia, and Kentucky ; and in view of these facts 
may not the subject of emancipation be safely trusted to the moral 
feelino-s and intelligence of those whose business and duty it is to 
deal with it ? The evil (if evil it is) is so engrafted upon our social 
system, that to get rid of it without producing greater evil, which 
would affect the servant even more than the master, the cure must 
be worked out cautiously and gradually. 

' Emancipation is not always a boon, even to the robust and able 
slave ; but it would be a curse to the aged and infirm, and to the 
helpless children. At the cost of twenty millions sterling you have 
brought ruin and ultimate desolation upon your "West Indian 
Colonies : they stand as a warning rather than an example to our 
country. We are under the guidance and protection of Divine 
Providence ; and the way in which, by his infinite power and good- 
ness, great ends are attained, is generally beyond our finite compre- 



FIREFLIES. 299 

hension ; — for ourselves, we are willing to believe that this apparent 
evil of Slavery is a means conducive to a great and merciful end. 
Compare the Christianized and civilized American negro, with the 
brutal, idolatrous, polygamist j^frican nations, and you will find the 
former advanced far above the latter in the scale of humanity. 

' Our countrymen are civilizing and Christianizing three or four 
millions of negroes, who will eventually return to Africa to civilize and 
Christianize the whole negro race. Is not this a great and good re- 
sult, and will not the end sanctify the means ? ' 

The letter further dwells upon the mischief which is done by an 
ill-judging interference, and concludes by reminding us that we have 
social evils of our own to attend to and to cure. 

New Orleans^ May 1. — I returned here to breakfast yesterday ; 

and in the evening Mr. and Mrs. G took me too see the garden 

belon<Tino- to a railroad station at six miles' distance. There I saw 
a very pretty Peruvian shrub, with lilac flowers, which the Irish 
gardener called ' Darbyana integrifolia.' I cannot say if the name 
is a legitimate one, because he appeared very hap-hazard in his 
nomenclature ; and as there are few people to interfere with it, I 
suspect he sometimes invents an appellation when he is doubtful 
about one. Roses, Oleanders, and Honeysuckles bloom here with 
a brilliancy and in an abundance beyond anything I ever beheld in 
Europe ; and last night the fireflies, sparkling in every direction as 
we returned home, were very pretty. They are brighter than our 
glow-worm ; but as their wings are opaque, they shine only in fly- 
ing, and their flights are so transient, that they appear and vanish 
just like sparks, but the light resembles the light from diamonds 
rather than sparks of fire. I am told they are still more numerous 
after rain ; but the mosquitoes increase also — therefore I should not 
wish to double the number of either. 

There have been some serious burglaries and robberies lately in 
New Orleans. A black man entered a house not far from this a few 
nights ago; being disturbed, he attempted to leap from the window; 
a gentleman within seized his hand, and tried to detain him in a 



300 EFFECTS OF THE DROUGHT. 

hanging position, until assistance came. With the arm left at Hber- 
ty, the robber drew out a revolver and shot his captor, who was 
obhged to let him go. The wounded man is recovering, but a bullet 
in his face is yet unextracted. 

Although this robber was a black man, the police in England 
and France being now so well organized, it is believed that many 
of the more desperate characters have taken refuge in the United 
States ; either this, or the want of a strong detective force has caused 
a great increase of criminal acts in America. 

On Thursday, the 4th, I propose to leave this place for Mobile ; 
then to proceed, via the Tensaw River, by Montgomery and Atlanta, 
to see the Stone Mountain of Georgia, and Chatanooga, in my way 
to Nashville and the Mammoth Cave. 

Great anxiety is expressed here for rain ; the drought has now 
been of long continuance, for the single day's rain which accom- 
panied a thunderstorm on the 4th seems to have been very partial, 
and almost confined to New Orleans. The cotton growers begin to 
despair, and all the crops are suffering so much, that a famine is pre- 
dicted if relief does not come soon ; and, as the houses here look to 
their great tuns or cisterns of rainwater for their principal supply, 
the absence of wet weather is a great distress to New Orleans ; be- 
sides which, steamers also are delayed or stopped by want of water 
in rivers tributary to the Mississippi. 

Mo.y 2. — There was a total eclipse of the moon last night, finer 
than anything of the kind I ever saw before. The obscuration 
began from the southern hmb soon after eight oclock, and the moon 
was not bright again till midnight ; for one hour and forty-eight 
minutes she looked like a dark orange, much smaller than usual ; 
but she was visible throughout, except after she began to brighten up 
again, when a few clouds passed over, and rendered her invisible for 
a short time. The wise and anxious hope for rain after this event. 
My horned frogs (for so I must call them till a better name is pro- 
vided) excite great interest ; although they are not entirely unknown 
to people kere, nobody can say whether any living specimens have 
been sent to England. I wished to show them to Dr. Riddell, but 



A SHOWEfl OF RAIN. 301 

he is gone up to Chatawa with his f^imilj, and he is not likely to 
return till after my departure. A heavy shower of rain has fallen 
this afternoon, and it is hoped that more will follow. An opportu- 
nity occurring, I shall close this letter, and probably not forward an- 
other packet till I reach Cincinnati or Indianopolis. 

Yours affectionately, 

A. M. M. 



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LETTER XXV. 



Atlanta, Alabama, U. S., > 
3fay 7, 1S55. S 

My dear Friends, — 

After five days' hard travelling, we got here this evening — I 
should say five days and three nights ; for with the exception of one 
night's rest at Mobile, and one (till five this morning) at Mont- 
gomery, since leaving New Orleans, on Thursday last, we have never 
paused an hour anywhere. Night-work is the only serious obstacle 
to journeying in America : it is very fatiguing, and where there is a 
pretty country to pass through, very disappointing to strangers ; both 
in Texas and Alabama this evil at present is incorrigible ; because, 
through wide districts, there are no places to pause at, and the mail 
being the only means of conveyance, of course it cannot be detained 
for any one. I might have attempted to get up the Alabama River 
from Mobile, but the water being low, there was considerable risk of 
grounding for some days upon sandbanks; besides which, I see 
more of the country and of the vegetation by coach-travelling ;_and 
although it is often very tantalizing to pass by trees, and shrubs, and 
flowers, either new or rare, without being able to get at them, still 
it is something to observe the botanical features of a district ; and 
by taking every opportunity, during a change of horses or a stop for 
meals, I have secured several interesting specimens, and sometimes 
get a sketch. From New Orleans a steamer brought us in about 



STREET ARCHITECTURE. ,303 

fourteen hours to Mobile : that town is prettily situated along the 
bay ; it seems a pleasant place of residence, with a hotel (Battle 
House), the best managed I have met with in the United States ; 
for usually, with a great deal of show, these places are conducted 
upon so little system, and with so little real comfort, that I much 
j^refer European inns to the most gorgeous American hotels ; and in 
point of expense, the latter equal, if they do not exceed, the former. 
Government-street in Mobile is also the handsomest street I have 
seen anywhere : it consists of detached houses with gardens ; some 
have the usual fault in this country of being whitened to a dazzling 
and unnatural whiteness ; but a custom-house is in process of erec- 
tion, with granite of a soft grey colour, and it seems likely to be an 
example of good architecture, as well as of pleasing tint. An agree- 
able family (to whom I was introduced by my friend Mr. "W , 

of Baltimore) made me profit as much as possible by the few hours 
I was able to stay at Mobile : they chose a pretty drive, and I was 
enabled to visit the first interesting nursery-garden I have met with ; 
there I saw Cactus triangulans, with hanging roots. I was told that 
a gentleman at Cincinnati had the best collection of cacti.'* Next 
day, Saturday, a steamer received us on board, and leaving Mobile 
Bay, we went up the river Tensaw, a stream beautiful as the Alta- 
maha, and bordered by woods far exceeding those of Georgia : live 
oaks, catalpas, magnolias (as large as elms), just come into blow ; 
the macrophyllea with its flower still sweeter and more splendid than 
the grandiflora, melios, gleditzios, cedars, sweet and black gum-trees, 
&c., with huge alligators occasionally basking beneath these verdant 
shores, and elegant birds flying above them. 

At Stockport we found two roomy four-horse coaches waiting for 
passengers : five gentlemen, R , and I took possession of one in- 
tended to hold nine inside, which would have been close packing ; 
so we were fortunate in not being quite as much cramped as we 
might have been. Nearly the whole two hundred miles to this place 
is deep sand, varying from white to red ; at first, through pine bar- 

* Since destroyed by fire. 



304 MONTGOMERY. 

rens like those of Florida, only covering a rolling country instead of 
a flat one ; but within fifty miles of Montgomery the forest becomes 
as various, and as rich, and as hilly, as that of the eastern part of 
Texas, and much resembling it in character and in soil — a red iron- 
sand. At one of the little post-houses I got a nodule of iron ore, 
■which they said was plentiful in the neighbourhood. By midnight 
we arrived at Montgomery, a clean-looking, gas-lit town, of which I 
could not see a great deal, for it was necessary to be in the railroad cars 
by six the next morning. A short distance from Montgomery the line 
was bordered on each side by hedges of Cherokee roses, vivid ever- 
greens with single white blossoms, and the foliage so thick that it is 
said not even a snake can get through it: then we went by the 
prettiest scenery of all — passing the rivers Coosa and Tallapoosa, and 
near the spot where General Jackson fought his 'Battle of the 
Horseshoe' with the Cherokees and Choctaws. One of my poor 
little horny, crusty reptiles is dead, in spite of all the care I could 
bestow upon him. I fear the other will not survive the long journey 
in prospect ; perhaps it would be better that these creatures should 
travel at the usual season of their torpidity ; now, the sun makes 
them too much inclined for an active life, and they evidently think 
it necessary to eat flies, whereas, in- the winter season, that would 
not be requisite. 

To-morrow, I am going some miles out of my route to see what 
is called the Stone Mountain of Georgia. Atlanta (so spelled here) 
is a town about eight years old, though there was a settlement and 
two or three houses as much as fifteen years ago. During my last 
passage in the steamer from Mobile, a black woman came and sat 
down by me in the stern of the vessel. From what we hear in 
England, I imagined negroes were kept at a distance. That is the case 
in the Northern States, but in the South they are at your elbow every- 
where, and always seek conversation. This was an old nurse, an aunty, 
or mammy, as they are sometimes called (all ancient women of the 
darky kind here are addressed as aunties). She was very communi- 
cative, told me she had a young mistress in Texas (sistere have some- 
times a common property in slaves left by their parents) ; that she 



AN AUNTY. 305 

was very fond of this master and mistress, and she ran on as follows 
— 'But there 'tis hard to be divided from t'other; but then people 
must have their 'flictions in this world. When I was a young girl, 
there, I used sometimes to fancy 'twould be a fine thing to be free; 
but, there, I don't now think 'twould be mighty fine at all ; there, 
I have everything I want in the wide world, 'cept jewellery, and that 
I don't want at all now, and, there (some of the coloured people 
have such a lot of jewellery you can't think) ; I say. Cissy, now (ad- 
dressing one of her charges) don't go for to tumble over there ; now 
if you gets into the water, we sha'n't have you a bit more, and then, 
your poor old aunty will die of it — that she will — and won't see her 
no more. I say, missus, I don't let master keep ray children up o' 
nights as some of their papas and mammas do ; I says, ' Master, it 
sha'n't be, it sha'n't — it isn't fit for they httle ones as ought to be in 
their beds ; ' and so my children have got colours in their faces, that 
they does.' I asked her what she thought of slaves being free here: 
her reply was, ' I say, missus, it does 'em no good, nor anyone else. 
If people has a fancy to make 'em free, send 'em to Africa, the place 
they corned from, I say. Why, missus, these free niggers are half 
their time bad niggers; and they does insult they niggers as keeps 
to their own masters and mistresses, and are mighty better and 
happier too, and that makes 'em mad to see. Tt is not right, missus, 
by the 'spectable slaves to have them there free niggers, with their 
jewellery, and their flowers, and their 'bacco, and their drink, idling 
about saucy and idle, it gives the dark people a bad 'kracter ; and I 
say, missus, it isn't right Send 'em away, I say, and then they may 
go and sit in the sun and do nothing, just as the half of them do.' 
So she ran on in a stream of talk, all much to the same purpose. 
One question to set these people off" is generally enough to have the 
benefit of all their thoughts; but it is better to keep one's own 
opinions in the background, for they are so imitative, they will often 
reflect you if they can. The day before yesterday, I heard of an in- 
telligent negro just freed by his master, after thirty-six years' good 
service. He was fifteen when brought over, remembered his native 
tongue, and intends to return to Africa. He strongly expresses his 
14* 



30G STONE MOUNTAIN. 

gratitude for having been broiiglit over to America, and says, 'Master, 
don't you let white masters and mistresses hurt the Slavery Institu- 
tion. I say, Master, it be Good Almighty's school for the coloured 
people it be, that He have made. Why, Massa, what would such 
a man as me have been without the slave merchant ? How should 
me have got a bit of education as me have ? And now go and try 
to give a bit to the race out there, who would a bring us over? I 
say, Master, we should ha' been worse than slaves, but for the 
Slavery Institution that brought us here to know how to work, and 
to hear about the good Almighty, and to know about what we should 
never have known in our own country. K'o, Massa, don't hurt the 
Slave Institution.' What would Mrs. Stowe say to this Uncle Tom? 
for he is the nearest to Uncle Tom of any negro I have heard of, and 
he will make a capital African missionary. 

Chatmiooga, May 9. — The day before yesterday I went sixteen 
miles on the Augusta railroad to see the ' Stone Mountain,' which 
was in all respects more singular and curious than I expected. There 
is a comfortable little hotel in the small village called from the hill 
' Stone Mountain.' ^ Mr. Clarke, the intelligent master, v/as so 
oblio-ino; as to drive me I'.imself in a Httle wai^on to that side from 
which the most interesting view is to be obtained. You must 
imagine an enormous granite bolster laid upon a deep valley, coming 
as straight as the side of a house down eleven hundred feet, then 
rounded towards the top five hundred feet more, smooth, and with- 
out vegetation, excepting at one spot towvards the western summit, 
where numbers of grey eagles are to be seen. Granite pillars a 
quarter of a mile long could be hewn from its perpendicular sides. 
It is said to be legitimate granite, with brilliant brownish-looking 
mica in it ; but I have got specimens for geologists to decide upon. 
It is externally a dark grey colour. I crossed a small stream to the 
foot of the precipice: I know none, not even the Martenswald of the 
Tyrol, so gigantic — I should think that eagles alone could surmount 
it. A plummet, with the rope eleven hundred feet in length, has 

^ Burned to tlie ground the night after I was there. 



AN OBLIGING LANDLORD. 



307 



been dropped in a straight line from above tbe spot I stood upon, 
wbicb resembled a beautiful English rock garden, bounded by fine 
trees, with thickets of Kalmia latifola in full bloom on one si.ie, the 
mountain wall on the other. After passing a stream and rising an 
eminence in a wood full of scarlet and pink Azaleas, I came to acres 
of tabular granite, from whence I attempted a sketch of the gigantic 
stony pillow before me. A photograph might give a true picture, 
but any pencil must be incompetent. I found Asplenium alpinum 
in fissures at the base of the precipice, but no other vegetation. 
The flowering shrubs are plentiful around, but I saw few smaller 
plants in blow ; and my guide told me the earher months of spring 
are most favourable here for such things. He was the first American 
I have met with (except Botanical Professors) who takes an mterest 
in flowers. He gathered a large bouquet of Azaleas, Kahnias, Bac- 
cinniums, (fee, and thanked me for having been the means of bring- 
ing him to the rock garden, which he had never visked before when 
the Kalmias were in bloom ; though he had a great pleasure (he 
said) in wandering alone about the mountain; 'but then I could 
never have persuaded my ladies to come to such a place as this.' 
We had to scramble across a stream and over the rocks, certainly; 
but I would have walked barefoot through the waters rather than 
have missed the scene. I do not wonder that American ladies m 
the mass look dispirited and ' sick ' (the word generally used in 
the United States for ill), they take so little exercise, and lose the 
best enjoyments of life in their n-3glect of natural beauty for arti- 
ficial pleasures; and no wonder they are victims of consumption 
and ennui. I returned to the hotel for dinner and an hour's rest, 
then took a young negro boy for my guide, and walked half way 
up the mountain, so as to sketch it from near the Eagle's 'cairn ' 
(as it would be called in Scotland). The descent was hot and 
faticruing, but I got back in good time for the half-past four o'clock 
trai^, and our obliging landlord went to Atlanta by the same cars, 
and took great charge of me. He expressed a strong wish to visit 
England, and it would give me pleasure to pay him any attention 
thei'e in return for a kindness and courtesy not by any means common 



308 A JUVENILE COACHMAN. 

among the masters and mistresses of hotels in America, who gene- 
rally consider it rather derogatory to show personal civility to their 
customers. 

j^fay 9. — By a quarter-past four in the morning we left the At- 
lanta, and travelled here through a fine country, only settled within 
the last twenty years. All the stations are small villages. I find 
Chatanooo-a a pretty scattered town on the banks of the Tennessee 
River, within five miles of ' Look-out Mountain.' In twenty years 
more it will acquire the population, as well as the name of a city, 
here given by anticipation. I procured a carriage at half-past two 
o'clock, to convey me to the top of ' Look-out.' I ascended by a 
beautiful drive through rocks and wood. I walked up some parti- 
cularly steep places, and added two pretty new flowers to my collec- 
tion — a crimson Lychnis and a pale lilac Geranium ; but through 
all this country flowers are scarce. I see only shrubs — ^junipers, 
cedars, &c. — which excite my wishes in going along by the cars. 

Upon reaching what is called ' the Point,' a view of Chatanooga 
and Tennessee River, flowing through mighty forests, was very fine. 
This hill is a strong contrast to the Stone Mountain ; not so unique 
in any way, but still fine. Sandstone rocks were heaped upon one 
another like some of those at our Tunbridge "Wells, though this for- 
mation must be much older ; and I saw some conglomerate of quartz 
and sand. After making a sketch, my veiy young coachman (a boy 
not more than fifteen) drove his two spirited horses with great tact 
and caution down the rough descent. 

We passed two or three slight summer residences, built by gen- 
tlemen of Chatanooga, as cool resorts for their families in the hot sea- 
son, and there is also an hotel on the mountain. I reached the town 
again happily before sunset, without any accident or difliculty, though 
I had no one with me but my young driver. Being tired, I went to 
rest, and slept for nine hours at once, to make up for lost time. 

JYashville, May 11. — It was dark when we reached this place, 
at half-past ten last night, so I missed the last thirty miles of sce- 
nery ; but certainly the previous one hundred and tw^enty we passed 
through is a most beautiful district. I never knew any territory be- 
longing to the old red sandstone that was not beautiful. The neigh- 



AMERICAN ROMANCING. 309 

bonring kingdoms of limestone and granite may be more majestic, 
but then they have sometimes an aspect of sternness and desolation 
never worn by the red sandstone. Here are all the beauties of Brae- 
mar and Ross-shire, and the Odenwald, watered by a river almost 
equalling the Rhine in breadth, volume, and colour, to which must 
be added the rich and varied foliage of the south. This is what 
may be seen for more than a hundred miles between Nashville and 
Chatanooga. We passed viaducts over ravines, in which some fortu- 
nate settlers had established their log abodes in situations the raOst 
enviable ; and here there are no snakes and no malaria to take off 
from other advantages. I would willingly live in Tennessee. 

I am up early, and before going to breakfast, or being distracted 
by thoughts derived from another fresh locality, I must give you the 
benefit of past observations ; and I want to remark as one of them, 
that the Americans must not be depended on for information as to 
facts regarding their own country, particularly not for any facts of 
natural science. They are not suflBciently aware of the importance 
of such things, and their love of practical jokes is strong. I might 
instance the Floating Island in Lake Solitude^ which never had any 
existence but in the imagination of its inventoi-s ; and I will tell you 
one story as exemplifying this Transatlantic habit. An old lady, 
who possessed more botanical curiosity than is commonly met with 
among ladies in this country, requested a sailor nephew, about to visit 

South America, to bring her a Mexican Cactus plant. Captain 

forgot his aunt's wish while in that country ; ashamed to confess his 
delinquency, and not being abte to resist the temptation to have his 
joke at her expense, he procured a flower-pot, buried in it a large 
rat all but the tail (which he tied in gardener-like fashion to a stick), 
and wrote on a neat tally the name, ' Cactus Rattailiense.^ When 
he presented this, the old lady exclaimed, ' What a queer plant ! 
why is it called Rattailiense ? ' 

' Don't you see, my dear Aunt, it bears a strong resemblance to 
the tail of a rat ? ' 

' Well,' said she, ' that is very odd ; and it certainly smells some- 
thing like a rat, too.' 

The captain went off to sea again before his fraud was discov- 



310 ACHILLE MURAT. 

ered, and trusted to the effect of time and absence to procure his 
forgiveness. 

I have heard some curious anecdotes of Achille Murat, who Hved 
for some years in Florida. He was considered a man of talent, but 
eccentric. After the present restoration of his family, some one said, 
' Perhaps in due time we may again see you an exile in this country.' 

' No,' said he, ' never. Now they have again accepted us in 
France, we shall cut their throats, or they must cut ours.' 

Having once made a few thousand dollars by a speculation, he 
presented his wife with a magnificent tea-service, at a time when she 
could hardly provide necessaries ; and this was owing to his strong 
faith in the ' Future ' of his race. After his return to Fance, when 
he had arranged an expensive establishment, a person to whom he 
owed seven thousand dollars applied for repayment, which Achille 
said was impossible. 

* I thought,' said his creditor, ' that living as you do now, you 
could find no difiaculty.' 

' Why,' answered the Prince, ' it is true I have sufficient to keep 
up my situation, but I have not enough to pay my debts.' 

I believe, however, he has since liquidated them. 

Since Louis Napoleon became Emperor, he has presented a com- 
plete set of the ' H. B.' caricatures to the hbrary at Albany, New 
York State. 

I think these stories are genuine ; but I have seldom given cre- 
dence to second-hand information. I should only have believed 
Captain Rollin's own account of his sea-serpent, and if that calm ob- 
servant sailor has fallen into the fashion of this country of imposing 
falsely-strung yarns upon strangers, I must give up al confidence in 
the veracity of American informants. 

Three Forks, Kentucky. — After a fatiguing journey (nine inside 
passengers in the mail coach) we reached this place at eleven o'clock 
last night, setting off" at five in the morning ; and it is rather an un- 
pleasant consideration, that after visiting the Mammoth Cave, seven 
miles from hence, w^e must take the mail again to-morrow night, and 
proceed on towards Louisville at the same hour we disembarked 



MRS. POLK. 311 

from that conveyance here. These inevitable night journeys are 
what I dishke most in American travel. I have fallen in with a 
gentleman and lady who are shortly going to England. They are 
so obliging as to take charge of this packet ; I shall therefore put off 
telling you what I think of the Mammoth Cave till my next letter, 
and only add that I found Nashville a pleasant town. It is watered 
by the Cumberland, a river which floats steamers, but it is much in- 
ferior to the Tennessee both in size and colour. A very handsome 
State-house, or Capitol, is nearly completed at Nashville. Well 
situated upon a hill, it is the best architectural building for its pur- 
pose I have yet seen in the States. The style is Ionic : eight pillars 
support the pediment, upon each of the four sides, and the lantern 
above the roof is ornamented by octagonal slabs to match. This 
lantern being unfinished, one cannot perfectly imagine its general ef- 
fect; but, judging from the good taste evinced by the architect, Mr. 
Strickland, (an Englishman, I understand,) in his plan, it is probable 
that the completion of this building will be worthy of its commence- 
ment. Its material is the beautifully coloured grey limestone of 
Kentucky. I had the pleasure of making acquaintance with Mrs. 
Polk, widow of President Polk, whose burial-place and monument 
are in the garden upon one side of her residence. It is a handsome 
but simple erection, bearing an inscription w^orthy of the man whose 
life and death it records ; and I sympathized with feelings which do 
not shrink from the sight of the last memorials of valued friends who 
have preceded us. I had not time lo see much of the neighbourhood 
of Nashville, but I met a few agreeable people there ; and could 
have made a pretty sketch from the Suspension Bridge, if the de- 
parture of the mail on alternate days only had not prevented me from 
staying a few hours longer. In haste, 

Your affectionate 

A. M. M. 
Three Forks, Kentucky, 
May 13, 1855. 



LETTER XXYI. 



Mammoth Cave, ) 
May 14, 1855. f 



My Dear Friends, — 

The Mammoth Cave is not the wonder I expected. Perhaps 
my expectations were raised too high, and so, as is sometimes the 
case, I do not fairly appreciate what has been considered secondary 
only to the Falls of Niagara; but, in my opinion, the Stone Moun- 
tain of Georgia is a greater marvel of nature than the caves of 
Kentucky. 

Underground rivers are by no means rare : they are very nu- 
merous in Florida ; and the Mammoth Cave is evidently the deserted 
bed of ancient streams. In some places it resembles gigantic drains, 
of which one of the most curious features is the regular, smooth, 
plastered-looking roof and sides. I have seen no elegant stalactite 
pillars like those of the Adelberg Cave in Carniola. The caverns 
here are heavy -looking, dark and dismal ; but there are some gigan- 
tic pits and domes, frightful from their height and depth. The 
stalactite altar, in what is called the Gothic Chapel, and a comfort- 
able arm-chair of the same material, were the most interesting things 
I saw. There are casts of fossils on the walls of what is here called 
oolitic rock, a fine emericite in one place. I see also at the hotel 
fossil-wood of the coal formations, w^hich w^ere procured about seven 
miles off, but not from any of the Caves. On the whole, I was more 



TREATME^'T OF TRAVELLERS. 313 

interested by plants at the moutli of the cavern than by onr five 
miles' walk within ; and to-morrow I shall probably ramble above 
ground, instead of beneath it. I found Podophyllum pellatum in 
flower for the first time ; a singularly pretty, one-flowering, bluish- 
grey Aster,^ and other novelties. 

Several people came with us in a stage-coach from Three Forks, 
and it is to convey us back to-morrow afternoon, in time to rest be- 
fore the mail takes us on. 

Three ForTcs^ or ' Bells' (as I find they call this place, to which 
we returned this afternoon, May 14th). Instead of the coach taking 
us on, as promised at Nashville (where they persuaded me to pay 
for the whole distance to Louisville), it arrived here loaded, and we 
are detained till passengers may happen to be scarce. This is the 
kind of treatment travellers are subjected to. It is impossible to 
place any dependence upon the assurances of agents; when they 
have got your money, they will, without compunction, leave you in 
the lurch. The lady and gentleman who have taken their passage 
to England for the 23rd are in the same predicament, and are of 
course still more inconvenienced. Instead of underground investi- 
gations this morning, I botanized in the woods above the Mammoth 
Cave, and found many interesting plants, particularly a pretty dwarf 
Iris, quite new to me ; Phaceha fimbriata, with ivy-shaped leaves, 
and fine specimens of Botrychium Virginicum, and other ferns in 
fruit. I walked as far as Green River, and made a sketch there : it 
is well named, for the water looks solidly green. This river falls into 
the Ohio, and by going down it, and then up the Cumberland, there 
is a water communication with Nashville ; but now the rivers are so 
low this is not practicable. All the party, excepting myself, entered 
the Cave this morning at eight o'clock, and did not emerge again 
till six in the afternoon. They admired some of the caverns much 
more than those we saw yesterday, and tell me that the imitations 



* I suppose this to be * Aster ^randiflorus,' though Darby's Botany says 
that plant flowers iu October, and that it is two or three feet, this is not one 
foot, high. 



314 MOCKING-BIRDS. 

of flowers and forms of various kinds in the snowy gypsum are very 
beautiful; but the expedition was tedious and fatiguing, and I do 
not repent my decision against it. ISTo eyeless fish were to be pro- 
cured — the water was too low ; though they are the great curiosity 
of the place. The preserved specimens I have seen have rudiments 
or marks where eyes should be, and I suppose that the organ has 
perished in process of time, from want of use, many generations one 
after another having existed and died in the dark. I have seen two 
species, a kind of perch and a crayfish.^' Stephen, the guide who 
accompanied us, is a mulatto of great intelligence : he is at present 
a slave, but is to have his freedoin next year, and then goes to 
Liberia with his wife and family (he would not w^isli to be free in 
this country) ; and it is to be feared that when beyond control, a 
certain propensity for strong waters will be his destruction. His ap- 
pearance is that of a good-looking Spaniard ; he is considered much 
the best guide, and he has not only acquired a perfect knowledge of 
the locality of the Cave, but also some degree of scientific acquaint- 
ance with its geological and chemical productions : besides Avhich, 
he seems to have read and studied the history of other places of the 
same nature, as far as he has been able to procure books. 

I am inchned to believe that nearly all the district was tunneled 
or undermined by water, which the lapse of ages has dried up, or 
drained off by numerous rivers. The caverns I saw in Cuba were 
probably owing to rather difi'erent circumstances, in which volcanic 
action played a larger part. The Cueva del Candela was an exten- 
sive opening above the plain in the side of a hill, whereas these 
Kentucky Caves are all below the surrounding country. 

Six 0^ clock, May 15. — I have been awakened by the singing of 
the mocking-birds in a small orchard close to the English-looking 
garden here : there is a tame one in a cage downstairs, who sings 
unceasingly, and I suppose he attracts all the birds of the neighbour- 
hood : at night their song resembles our nightingale ; this morning 
it is exactly like that of canaries.- Although my wanderings in the 

^ I have now got the latter. 



EVENTUALITIES. 315 

woods yesterday lasted some hours, I did not feel apprehensive of 
snakes : one of the guides told me before I set out, that althouo-h 
there are rattlesnakes, and some other kinds occasionally here, yet, in 
his opinion, the popular fear of them is much greater than necessary ; 
that they alwa3^s get out of your way if possible, and he has him- 
self often walked over them, without danger ; they never wound un- 
less driven to it in self-defence. There are many pigs, too, in the 
woods above the Mammoth Cave, and they are perfect snake scaven- 
gers, eating up ail they can rout out or fall in with. I saw the tail of 
something darting into a hole, but could not be sure whether it was 
snake or lizard ; besides this, I caught sight of no animal but a frog 
with large eyes. After I had been out five hours, one of the negroes 
came to look after me, and I was glad to make over my flower-press 
for him to carry back ; I had a sketch-book, a bamboo stick, and a tin 
case (none of the smallest) ; and these often obliged me to go twice 
over the same ground, because I could not carry them all at once ; and 
yet it was a much greater enjoyment to be without an attendant who 
would have hurried me, and look bored, if he did not express him- 
self so. The negroes, too, watch your every motion with such eager 
curiosity, and will hardly let you stir without their help. My friend 
was very loth to go ; he tried to persuade me that it might rain, or 
blow some of the trees down upon me ; but I said I was not afraid, and 
that if it rained very hard, he might bring out an umbrella to a 
spring near, to which I meant to find my way ; so at last he left me 
to my owm inventions, and no difficulties occurred. I returned to the 
hotel by half-past three o'clock. Immediately after the Cave hunt- 
ers came back, we were summond to get into the coach ; for the road 
being bad, we had to walk up and down some of the hills, and to 
arrive again at our starting-place before dusk. After tea there, we 
went to rest, preparatory to our expected night journey, and we 
were packed and ready, when we were told it was impossible we 
could be taken on ; so we were obliged to reconcile ourselves to 
twenty-four hours' pause. Next morning, I was agreeably surprised 

to find my Anglo-American friend, Miss G , had arrived with a 

party to proceed to the Cave, so that my detention enabled us to 



31C A NEGRO BEAUTY. 

meet. My Hortiis Siccus also will benefit mucli by the time I was 
able to bestow upon it, and a walk in the forest surrounding this 
place was the means of my adding a singular fern to my collec- 
tion ; excepting that fern, I did not find much that I had not already 
put into my press at the Mammoth Cave ; a brilliant orange Coreop- 
sis, probably one of those we already have in our gardens, is com- 
mon in these woods, which are sprinkled all about vrith rocks, but 
none of large dimensions. 

Louisville, May, 17. — At ten o'clock the night before last we 
got into a crammed coach at Three Forks ; nine inside, two of whom 
were negro women ; also a black baby — and such a frightful speci- 
men of black nature as one of these slave women was ! — her mouth 
justlike a catfish ; andthen so sulky mannered and unaccommodating; 
she took her own share of the room, and added to it as much as she 
could possibly steal from her neighbours. Talk of white freedom ! 
why I never saw women of the v/hite classes in England as indepen- 
dent and assumino; in manner as some of these darkies. I can im- 
agine what they must be in the West Indies, since we have given 
them free scope there ! 

Yesterday afternoon the rain poured down in torrents, a great 
boon to this parched country, though it did not make our tedious 
journey more pleasant ; the way to Louisville was through open woods 
and fields and glades, which would have been English in character, 
if the everlasting and ugly snake fences had not kept us constantly 
in mind of America. We ferried over the Salt Eiver just at its 
junction with the Ohio, having before travelled along one of its 
beautiful shores, and then we passed through Elizabethville, and 
Nolinn's Creek ; so called from a hunter of the name of Linn. In 
the early times of the settlement his party having lost their compan- 
ion in the forests, separated to seek him, and having given their 
rendezvous at this spot, each man as they came in called out No Linn; 
this was the origin of the name. Louisville is a large city on the 
banks of the Ohio ; it has no very attractive features, and as we 
must proceed by rail to Cincinnati at eight o'clock this morning, I 
shall not have time to see much here. There is a heavy ugly Court- 



CINCINNATI. 



3 1*7 



house, ill an unfinished dilapidated-looking state, and the streets are 
ill-paved ; I understand the population mounts up to fifty thousand, 
and this hotel was so crowded, that if it had not been for my accom- 
modating English friends who gave up a room they had engaged, we 
should have been obliged to seek beds elsewhere. 

Cincinnati^ May 17. — We crossed the Ohio River this morning 
by a ferry-boat at eight o'clock, to start from the railway station, 
which has the most roomy and comfortable cars I have yet met with 
in America. We reached this place, one hundred and twenty miles 
from Louisville, by three o'clock, passing by a series of picturesque 
low-wooded hills, which are called the Knobs of Ohio. President 
Harrison's tomb is on one of these elevations, near a pretty town 
named Aurora. Kentucky is on the opposite side of the river. We 
are now in Ohio, which bears the appellation of the Buckeye State. 
Nearly every State and each chief city has what may be called a 
local designation, and some of these are extremely appropriate : I 
will give you a list of those I have ascertained : — 



New York, Empire State 
Massachusetts, Bay State 
Philadelphia, Key State 
Kentucky, Corn cracker State 
Indiana, ' Hoosier'* State 
Illinois, Sucker State . 
Virginia, Old Dominion 
South Carolina, Palmetto State 
Missouri, Wolverine State . 
California, Gold State 
Geoi'gia, Rice State 
Louisiana, French State 
Florida, Shell State 



Empire City. 
Bay City. 
Quaker City. 
Pittsburg, Smoky City. 
Cleveland, Forest G'itj. 
Wheeling, Bridge City. 
Cincinnati, Queen City. 
Saint Louis, Mound City. 
Louisville, Falls City. 
Galena, Garden City. 
Memphis, Bluff City. 
Xew Orleans, Crescent City. 
Indianapolis, Ptailroad City. 



May 18. — Soon after reaching Cincinnati yesterday afternoon, I 
set otf in the hope of seeing Mr. Long-worth's Cacti ; but, unfortu- 
nately, the green-house with everything in it, was destroyed by fire, 
about three years ago ; and it is an exemplification of Transatlantic 



* Madame Pfeiffer mistook Governor Wright, when she gave, from his 
authority, another derivation for the word 'Hoosier.' It originated in a 
settler's exclaiming 'Huzza,' upon gaining the victory over a marauding 
party from a neighbouring State. 



318 A GENERIC TERM. 

indifference to siicli things, that a loss of the finest collection of 
Cacti in the United States, and perhaps in the world, does not ap- 
pear to have been known except to those immediately concerned. 
I found nothing very new in the glass houses belonging to Mr. Long- 
worth ; but in one of them the Victoria Regia was in flower ; and there 
is an intelligent young Scotchman as gardener. Mr. Longworth's 
residence, though in the town, is large ; and within the grounds, 
on either side, he has erected other handsome houses, for two sons- 
in-law. Mr. Longworth was away from home, but Mr. Anderson, 
who married one of his daughters, w^as so obliging as to show me 
the first works of Power — one a charming ideal bust, entitled Oenc- 
vra^ and the other a bust of his patron, considered very good ; it 
reminded me of Seneca. 

The agriculturists w^ere blessed by much rain yesterday. We 
are now come far enough north to feel a change of climate ; and 
an advantage to me will be the getting away from a species of tick, 
which was the torment of my Southern walks. The insect is as 
large as that which in England is rarely named to ears polite, 
though here it is the usual designation of every creeping thing. 
This tick is so insidious in its approaches, that you are not made 
sensible of having one upon you till it has fastened itself tightly into 
your skin. After botanizing in the neighbourhood of the Mammoth 
Cave, I felt tormented during our night journey to Louisville ; and, 

upon arriving there, R extracted twenty-five of the little 

wretches ; they are very tenacious of life ; and, if the head is left 
behind, greater irritation ensues; but the suffering to me has not 
been greater than that caused by the sting of a mosquito. These and 
cactus spines are two great hindrances to botanical researches in the 
Southern States. 

Cincinnati is handsomer and more attractive than Louisville, and 
worthy of its distinctive name, ' Queen City.' Geologically, the 
formations which surround it are singular. I believe they belong 
to the Devonian group, or rather Lower Silurian ; but there is lime- 
stone resembling in colour and appearance (though not in fossils) 
what is called ' forest marble' in England ; it lies in flat strata about 



FUTURE OF CINCINNATI. 319 

a foot, or lialf a foot iu thickness, alternating with clay ; and, in 
some places, I observed both indurated together into a striped rock, 
dark and light grey. I have got a "few specimens, with fossils, 
Trilobites, Orthises, &c. ; and very large Trilobites are found here. 

Mr. Mitchell, the astronomer, took me up to his Observatory, 
situated upon a commanding elevation overlooking the town and 
winding Ohio. This will one day be a gigantic city; already her 
j)opulation amounts to two hundred thousand. The emporium of 
the Western States, Cincinnati is both commercial and manufactur- 
ing. Her citizens have built, and are building, palaces ; and, if the 
first settlers could but have imagined the future of the great capital 
they were founding, instead of rooting up and burning down the 
trees on the numerous heights, and then partitioning them out in small 
lots for building, they would have preserved them, or some of them, 
in their forest attire, in public parks and gardens for their city, 
which, by this time, must have been the Queen of the States, in 
beauty of scenery as well as in situation. Professor Mitchell tried 
to explain his wonderful astronomical instruments to my unmechani- 
cal comprehension. I can only see that he has made great dis- 
coveries. By means of a galvanic battery, he produces an electric 
spark each second, in the interior of a clock, by which he works his 
whole observing machinery above. Through this agent he has 
superseded the old transit-glass ; and the exact situation of stars is 
instantaneously jotted down by a mere finger-touch from the ob- 
server, upon a connecting rod. I do not know whether this is a clear 
explanation, for though I understand the commencement and con- 
clusion of the operation, I have not sufiicient knowledge to trace it 
through all its mysterious doings. The Professor himself drove me 
up and down some of the terrific hills of this precipice town ; he and 
his pretty little horses and light high-wheeled carriage seemed so 
used to the business, that I did not insist upon jumping out, other- 
wise I should have been very unwilling to have been driven by the 
very edge of descents which it makes me now giddy to think of. 
A mizzling rain forced us to give up a proposed drive into the sur- 
rounding country ; and I was obliged to be content with cursory 



320 DR. JOHNSON ON SLAVERY. 

views of the principal streets ; after which Mr, Mitchell took me to 
his house to drink tea and spend the evening with Mrs. Mitchell and 
his family. 

Saturday^ May 19. — This afternoon I go on by rail to Indiana- 
polis. I have now taken leave of the Southern States, but I must 
make some more remarks upon the Slavery question. Louisville 
and Cincinnati are places in which, I believe, Mrs. Stowe once re- 
sided ; and I quote an opinion she advances in her last work which 
proves her entire ignorance of negro constitution and habits. She 
asserts that Canada is the best locality * to develope the energies of 
the black race.' Before saying this, it would have been well if she 
had studied the condition of the free negroes in Canada. The very 
climate itself is utterly unsuited to them. Mrs. Stowe quotes, as 
mistaken and absurd, the sensible remarks in Boswell's Life of 
Johnson respecting negro slavery, which I must re-quote as wise and 
true : 'To abolish a status which in all ages God has sanctioned and 
man has continued, would not only be robbing a numerous class of 
our fellow-subjects, but it would be extreme cruelty to the African 
savages, a portion of whom it saves from worse bondage in their 
own country, and introduces into a much happier state of life; espe- 
cially when their passage to the West Indies and their treatment 
there is humanely regulated. To abolish the trade would be to shut 
the gates of mercy on mankind.' And I must add this : the opin- 
ions I have heard from intelligent slaves coincide with those here 
quoted. Because some slave manacles were seen by Clarkson in a 
Liverpool shop, he decided at once upon the inhumanity of slavery 
— so says Mrs. Stowe. Tyrannical men and women in Great Britain 
have actually starved apprentices to death — is apprenticeship there- 
fore murder ? I trust no Englishwoman can be found willing to 
bring such an accusation against her people. Let us imagine two 
brothers in this country engaged in trade : one buys a plantation, 
with two hundred negroes, to raise cotton, on the Mississippi — the 
other sets up a mill to spin cotton, at Cincinnati. Trade is bad with 
the elder : he must raise or buy corn and clothes to feed and clothe 
his labourers. Trade is tight with the other : he dismisses his work- 



SUNDAY-SCHOOL TEACHING. 821 

people, who may starve or perish, and there is no law which can 
make him responsible for their sufferings. I will conclude this sub- 
ject with one more anecdote, for the truth of which I can vouch. A 
Southern lady and gentleman brought a mulatto slave to Cincinnati, 
who there fell in with some abolitionists, and was imbued with a 
feeling of discontent. Her master and mistress observing this, pro- 
ceeded to New York, where they told the girl that they did not 
wish to retain a servant against her will, and giving her twenty dol- 
lars, they added, ' Take this money and your freedom.' The girl 
took it, and went out. She entered a theatre, and was told ' she 
must go to the entrance for coloured people.' In a church she is 
ordered to sit with the blacks. Trying for a place in an omnibus, 
the driver says it is no place for her. She hurried back to her mis- 
tress to return the money, and entreated she might be taken or sent 
back to that South 'where black people are free.' 

Indianapolis^ May 19. — We reached Indianapolis soon after the 
evening closed in. As hours are early in this part of the world, I 
determined to go to an hotel for the night, so as not to intrude on 
my friends at an inconvenient time. This was acquiesced in by 
Governor Wright, who visited me soon after my arrival. 

May 20. — The Governor came early, f^nd took me to his house. 
At half-past ten o'clock we went to the Episcopal church, where the 
duty was admirably done by a Mr. Talbot, originally from Kentucky, 
who preached a sermon, good in matter as in manner. Dinner was 
at one o'clock, and at two I accompanied the Governor to visit two 
large Simday-schools, belonging to different denominations. There 
are about fifteen in this town. They have each a superintendent ; 
and young men and women of the various churches in the place 
give them assistance. In England we might take example by the 
wisdom here which limits Sunday-school attendance to one hour, 
and leaves the place and period of Divine worship to be regulated 
by the parents. If the teaching at school is not such as to induce 
the children to go willingly to church, a forced going will not bene- 
fit their religious feelings ; and too often the fatigued, bored appear- 
ance of Sabbath-school children in our churches is a sad commen- 
15 



322 AN EXPECTANT MILLENARIAN. 

tary upon the want of judgment evinced by tlie British public in 
this matter. The Sunday is kept at Indianapolis with Presbyterian 
strictness. No trains start, letters do not go, nor are they received, 
so that a father, mother, husband, or wife may be in extremity, and 
have no means of communicating their farewells or last wishes if 
Sunday intervenes. Surely this is making man subordinate to the 
Sabbath — not the Sabbath to man. I have been amused at a story 
told me of an inhabitant of this place. The Millenarian doctrine 
has been rife here ; all through America ftmatics have lately spread 
an idea that sublunary matters were to close yesterday, May 19. A 
man not usually inclined to intemperate habits, called at a store as 
the day waned, and requested a mug of porter to support his spirits 
throui^h the expected catastrophe. Time wore on — still the elements 
looked calm.. 'It wont be over yet awhile; I must have another 
glass. 'Tis very depressing to have to wait so long ; give me some 
more drink.' This continued till the poor frightened soul became 
dead drunk ; and he was much surprised next morning to find the 
world going on much as usual — with the exception of his aching 
head. 

May 21. — Governor Wright invited me to accompany him in a 
morning walk at sunrise — four o'clock. I had some letters to write 
previously, but by five we perambulated parts of the town, which is 
peculiarly laid out ; the Court, or rather Government-house being in 
the centre (and it is said also the centre of the Union ; but that can 
only be a temporary centre, for this place lies eastward of the middle 
of the continent) ; and all the streets converging towards it. 

I occupied this morning in arranging my dried specimens of 
plants, which occasionally require attention. We dined at one 
o'clock, and Mrs. Wright, at present an invalid, was suflficiently re- 
covered to join us at table. After dinner 1 was happy to see Judge 
Maclean, whom I knew at Washington ; he is come to hold a court ; 
and Governor Powell, of Kentucky, is also expected to-morrow. The 
Governor took Mr. Maclean and me a drive to see the Asylums for 
the Deaf and Dumb, and for the Blind of this State. They are both 
fine institutions, paid for by the people through special taxes, imposed 



DEMaCRACV AND DESFOTlfeM. 323 

for the purpose, and paid ungrudgingly. They have sufficient 
ground attached for out-of-door occupations and exercise. The deaf 
and dumb make shoes and bonnets, farm, &c., so as to acquire a 
knowledge which enables them to gain their future livelihood : and 
the girls are taught to be sempstresses, washerwomen, cooks, &c. 
Such charities should always be situated in the country ; town life 
cuts off the most necessary and advantageous means of training the 
inmates to healthful and useful pursuits. 

From the cupola of the Asylum for the Blind the view is wide. 
These extensive plains of the West extend one thousand miles in the 
direction of Canada, and as far towards the Rocky Mountains. There 
is one height or bluff about fifteen miles off, which I must go and 
look at. Indiana produces freestone, coal, and iron. The Wabash, 
about sixty miles from hence, is the most considerable river. Before 
we left the Asylum, some of the blind pupils sang quartettes and 
duets, accompanied by one of their number on the piano. They 
sang in tune and with good taste. 

I have heard much of Democracy and Equality since I came to 
the United States, and I have seen more evidences of Aristocracy 
and Despotism than it has before been my fortune to meet with. 
The 'Know-nothings,' and the 'Abolitionists,' and the ' Mormonites ' 
are, in my opinion, consequent upon the mammonite, extravagant 
pretensions and habits which are really fashionable among Pseudo- 
Republicans. Two hundred thousand starving Irish have come to 
this country, and in their ignorance they assume the airs of that 
equality which they have been induced to believe is really belonging 
to American society. They endeavour to reduce to practice the 
sentiment so popular here — but no — that will never do. Ladies 
don't like their helps to say they ' choose to sit in the parlour, or 
they wont help them at all, for equality is the rule here.' Mrs. So- 
and-so of the 'Codfish' Aristocracy doesn't like to have Lady Any- 
thing to take precedence of her ; but Betty choosing to play at 
equality is quite another thing ! Now at Indianapolis I have found 
something Hke consistency, for the first time since I came this side 
the Atlantic. I do not assert there is equality, for the simple reason 



324 A governor's levee. 

that it is not in nature ; and (as Lord Tavistock once so well said), 
'the love of liberty is virtue, hut the love of equality is pride;' but 
here, the Governor of the State is a man of small income ; his salary 
is only fifteen hundred dollars : he has really put aside money- 
making, and his son, an amiable young man, instead of wasting his 
time in rioting and drunkenness (which, alas ! is too much the case 
with the sons of the ' Aristocracy ' in the United States), keeps a 
store to make his own fortune, and, as he nobly said yesterday, to 
provide for that father who has disdained to sacrifice his country to 
himself. Governor Wright did not think it a degradation to carry 
a basket when I accompanied him to the market this morning, and 
his whole demeanour is that of a consistent Republican. I do not 
care what a man's political creed may be (though I much prefer the 
monarchical principles of old England), but I do admire consistency; 
and I consider the 'Know-nothing' movement as a consequence of 
uncertain principles. 

May 22. — This day Governor Powell of Kentucky came on a 
visit here. He was in Canada two years since, and he spoke with 
admiration of Lord Elgin, and of his manner of conducting the aff'aii's 
of that Colony. The heat has suddenly become intense ; to my 
feelings as hot as any day we had in Cuba. At last I conclude that 
winter has really given up our company, after returning to it so 
frequently, that I feel as if I had passed three winters and three 
summers in America. 

May 23. — I went at five o'clock this morning to the Eastern 
market-place, where I first saw squirrels sold like rabbits for the table 
ready skinned. When dressed, they are exactly like young chickens. 
I believe it is the grey squirrel. This evening the Governor had 
what is now in the States universally called a levee ; after the same 
fashion as the President's receptions. Governors of individual States 
occasionally open their doors to all the citizens who choose to attend, 
and it is considered a compliment to stranger guests like the Gov- 
ernor of Kentucky and myself, that the attendance should be good ; 
so the rooms here were filled. The Governor and his lady do not 
receive their visitors, but we all went into the room after they had 



THE STONE MOUNTAIN, 325 

assembled. No refreshments are expected on these occasions, but 
every one shakes hands upon being introduced. The assemblage was 
very respectable and orderly ; it concluded about eleven o'clock, 
having begun at nine. 

May 24. — I went to see a Devonshire man and his wife, who 
have a vineyard : they have been settled here twenty years, and are 
natives of Dartmouth ; they look back to the old country with regret, 
and think they might have done as Avell there as here ; though they 
have a cottage with an acre of ground their own property, and a 
married son and daughter doing well, but poor people. Their 
youngest boy is an inmate of the Indiana Lunatic Asylum. Mrs. 

N was brought up in the family of the lady who nursed the 

Duchess of Gloucester, and remembers helping to make a cradle for 
the Princess Amelia. She was much delighted to find that I knew 

Miss A . We spoke much of England ; I told her she was now 

adopted by this country, and that with her family here, it w^as w^rong 
to hanker so much after that of her birth. 

Mr. N buries his vines in the ground, as soon as the wood 

lias hardened, during the cold months of the year. I wonder 
whether this plan would make the vine more prolific in the open air 
with us. 

Mrs. Wright gave an evening party of invited acquaintances ; a 
great many agreeable people from this and the adjoining State. One 
lady sang some of Moore's Melodies very sweetly ; but, as yet, music 
is not much cultivated in America : either the ladies do not devote 
sufficient attention to it, or there are not good masters. This is 
almost the first time I have heard an American sing with taste and 
expression. This party did not conclude before midnight. 

I have spoken of the Stone Mountain to gentlemen, engineers, 
professors, and military men ; but the gigantic precipice, and the 
curious geological facts of fhat elevation seem quite unknown to any 
of them ; as yet they do not appear to have attracted the notice of 
scientific men. I imagine that the tabular masses spread upon the 
rising ground on the opposite side of the valley beneath the precipi- 
tous wall, must be the debris of that part of the mountain which fell 



326 THE BLUFFS OF THE WHITE RIVER. 

away upon tlie upheavement of the mass in an almost fluid state — 
at least this is the idea suggested by its appearances. I hope some 
one more able to understand it than I am, will visit the place, and 
decide how far my supposition is probable. 

I am told the thermometer stood at ninety-two degrees in the 
shade the day before yesterday, and the weather continues very hot, 
but there is now rather more air. Last night a naval gentleman told 
me that part of an iron fastening belonging to a ship had been found 
half embedded in a mass of iron, which had been supposed an aerolite, 
lying on a prairie in this country. From this fact a very modern 
origin for the locality is deduced, because it is concluded that a mass 
of the kind in question must originally have been left by an iceberg. 
I mention this as it was named to me, without pretending to decide 
upon the truth of the matter. 

Thursday, Mrs. Wright gave an invited reception, with a stand- 
ing supper. All went off well, and I saw the principal people of In- 
dianapolis. Next morning I drove with a young lady to see what are 
called the Blufts of the White River, sixteen miles distance. I was 
surprised to find that the road there was by no means what we should 
call a plain, it was rather a series of continued low elevations, and 
many short but steep hills mark the road. It passes through a 
pretty country, bordered by farms, and watered by small streams, 
making their way to the White River, which attended our drive 
within a short distance. ' The Bluft' ' proved to be a rather higher 
hill than others, overlooking the river, and thickly timbered, but with- 
out a rock of any kind. I found the large leaved blood-wort, the 
May apple, and a pretty red columbine, growing jDlentifully in soil 
formed by the dead leaves of a thousand autumns. The inmates of 
a pretty farm near at hand gave us hospitality and a share of their 
dinner, while our coachman acted as guide, and entered into my 
botanical researches with great interest. We made our way over the 
hill down to the river bank, where we saw the laborious but useless 
works for the formation of a canal, entered into by the State at an 
outlay of hundred thousands of dollars just before railways were put 



ENGLISH ARISTOCRACY. 827 

into action, and abandoned in consequence. The smalltown ofWa- 
verly is situated a mile beyond the hill we came to visit. Our drive 
home was a chilly one. The thermometer has again descended be- 
low 50°. These sudden changes from intense heat to cold are much 
greater than those we have in England. 

Saturday and Sunday were very cold, with slight showers. It is 
supposed much rain has fallen in other parts of the State ; a most 
acceptable conclusion of the long drought, which has excited much 
alarm for the fate of the crops. There are two well conducted news- 
papers in this town, but they fall into the same error (which is almost 
general in the press through the States), that of attacking the institu- 
tions and the character of the Parent State, in a tone both virulent and 
unjust ; and this I am sorry to say is not so much the practice of na- 
tive Americans as of editors born in England ; even those whose 
parents lookback with love and veneration to the country they have left ; 
and, in one instance, though their son is a powerful, a moral, and usually 
a conscientious writer, yet is his pen dipped in the gall of bitterness 
whenever it approaches subjects which touch upon Great Britain. 
He forgets, or in his ignorance he does not know, when echoing vul- 
gar abuse of the Old Land and the English aristocracy, that, as a 
whole, they give an example of energy in action, and simplicity in 
manner, which might well be copied here. British distinctions are 
not derived solely from mammon, therefore mammon is not the sole 
god of their idolatry. Individuals are not valued and judged in Eng- 
land (as is too generally the case in America) by the satin they may 
have upon their backs, or the dollars that chink in their pockets ; but 
each individual, in fact, is appreciated according to his intrinsic qual- 
ities. Those who know the old country best will admit that the in- 
fluence attached to the respective grades of society is lost by those 
whose habits are unworthy ; while, on the other side, men like Hugh 
Miller, and others who could be pointed out, are not precluded from 
the highest distinctions if they earn them. Yet such paragraphs as 
these have been going the round of the United States' papers: — ' The 
meanest aristocracy is that of birth; it ignores intellect, ener- 



328 THE TEMPERAJrCE LEGISLATUKE. 

gy, courage, and good deeds; it demoralizes Governraent, defeats 
armies, and diso-races manhood. If there were no aristocracy of birth 
in England, great men would have risen from the ranks to lead the 
British army in triumph,' &c., &c., &c. Do these Democrats not 
know that the English people have no wish to see their army, hke 
that of France, the chief aristocracy of the land ? I should be sorry 
ifthe time came when the sword alone should be permitted to hew 
its way to the principal distinctions of England. Now, a man may 
rise more easily in the law, the church, the literary, or even the ar- 
tistic path, than in that of the soldier. Let our young men of fortune 
still buy their commissions, and place themselves under strict disci- 
pline, and then occasionally, by succession, a poor man derives the 
benefit ; but never let the brave aspiring English peasant know that 
his strong arm and great heart are the means by which he may most 
easily acquire a marshal's baton, a ducal coronet, for then a military 
despotism may one of these days supplant the freest Constitution in 
the world. The press of the United States is fond of calling names : 
'British Flunkeyism,' 'Mock Emperor,' 'Mock Representation.' 
Americans have chosen their forms of Government — the best, pro- 
bably, for a young rising people. Let them be content with their 
own, without abusing that of their mother land *, but there are signs 
in the horizon which foretell that their Government may not stand 
the test of centuries. I copy from American papers that ' Judge 

C , for several years occupying the position of Associate-Judge, 

and having held other offices of honour and profit as an old and influ- 
ential citizen of Harding County, has been arrested for counterfeiting ! ' 
And these prohibitory liquor-law^s, which the local legislatures have 
been so busy in enacting ! What would be thought in England of 
legislators who now drink more liquor than ' was drank by that legis- 
lator wdio passed the prohibitory law.' 

The Temperance Legislature of New York, while on a visit to 
that city, got on a ' drunken spree, and broke up in a row ! ' Of 
course, in these remarks I am not alluding to the intelligent and 
really distinguished men of America, — men who have crossed the 



BRIBERY. 329 

Atlantic, and made themselves acquainted with English institutions 
and English manners. No people are more fond of titles than 
Americans when they can get hold of them. ' Generals ' and 

* Judges ' and ' Colonels ' are plentiful as blackberries. Mere boys 
assume these appellations often without much claim to them ; and 
every member of Congress expects to be addressed in society as 

* Honourable.' Our members of Parliament are satisfied to be so 
designated in the House itself, but do not claim the title out of doors. 
Yet, I should be sorry to hear even a suspicion attached to the 
name of any individual belonging to our legislative bodies, of such 
gross derelictions from duty and honesty as are not uncommon 
among the ' Honourable ' members of the United States Congress. 

Washington is a very sink of corruption. Those who know the 
place cannot deny that a large proportion of the gentlemen (and 
ladies, too) assembled there at one period of the year are open to 
bribery, and that Bills to put the almighty dollars into certain 
pockets, have been got through by the aid of establishments open 
to certain people, liberally supplied with liquors and gaming tables, 
and that Avhen people have lost money, purses have been at their 
disposal, of course with the understanding that their votes went in the 
right direction. Can anything of political profligacy be raked out 
of the faults of the old country to match this ? or can the worst in- 
ventions of the English press equal the assertion, that John Bull 
publicly rejoiced over the death of the Czar, and that the British 
are a ' nation of brutes ? ' No individual or people can claim the 
merit of perfectibility, and I should not point out the blots in the 
American escutcheon if they were not inclined to be too busy in 
falsely bespattering those of their neighbours. 

An electric despatch invites me to attend the wedding of two young 
friends at Albany, and particular circumstances make this invitation 
imperative. So for the present, at any rate, I must give up my 
intended visit to the Prairies of Ohio and Illinois. By taking the 
early train to-morrow, I can reach New York State in time, and al- 
low for a few hours' visit to Dr. Kirtland, at Cleveland, who has 
15^ 



330 CONCLUSION. 

been ill, and cannot meet me as be proposed to do. I close this 
packet here, and let it go by the first opportunity. 

Yours affectionately, 

A. M. M. 
Indianapolis^ May^ 27. 

P.S. — Tbis rambling epistle is hastily sent off, and I will write 
again from Albany. 



O-O C"^^..0 O'^^O C"^ Ot^^..O C'^OO C'^Q.O 



LETTER XXYII. 



Albany, May 13, 1855. 

My dear Friends, — 

I left Indianapolis early on Monday last, slept at Cleveland, 
and spent a few hours with Dr. Kirtland at Rock Point, which hours I 
cut off the time necessary for my journey by travelling all night. 
I hope this will be my last night's w^ork during the remainder of 
my stay in America, for it is a very disagreeable business. The 
wedding of my young American friends will take place to-morrow, 
and then I shall be able to decide whether there is any chance of 
my being able to accomplish the tours in the Adirondack and the 
Prairies which were planned last year. 

Ma.T/ 31. — While at breakfast yesterday morning I received an 
invitation from the two Bishops of Pennsylvania and New York to 
accompany them to the consecration of a new church at Troy. Miss 

P was so obliging as to come for me. We followed a beautiful 

line of railway for about an hour. In the society of two of the most 
distinguished and excellent men in the United States, I enjoyed this 
drive. The little Gothic church is almost perfect in style and taste, and 
although strictly architectural externally, as well as internally, it is 
original in design. Every seat was occupied, and a finer sermon 
than that preached by the Bishop of Pennsylvania, for such an occa- 
sion, I never heard — equally good in matter as in manner. There 



332 TICONDKROGA. 

were several clergy who took part in the service. We had the 
Hundredth Psalm congregationally sung, and the Halleluja Chorus 
well played ; if a theatrical kind of anthem had not been inserted 
between them, the music would have been as satisfactory as the 
other arrangements, excepting that the service was rather too long. 

We afterwards lunched at the house of Mr. and Mrs. T , and did 

not get back to Albany till six in the afternoon. The wedding cere- 
mony, which took place about nine o'clock the same evening, was 
performed by the Bishop of Pennsylvania, in the presence of a large 
party. This is the lifth marriage I have attended in America. I 
cannot resist a kind proposal of the Bishop's, that I should accom- 
pany him and Mrs. Potter through a visitation tour in some of the 
most beautiful parts of his diocese. I shall join them in Philadel- 
phia the 6th instant. Whether the Adirondack and the Prairies will 
also be comprised, I cannot yet tell. Letters await me at New- 
York. I have had so few from home these last three months that 
I am very anxious. I was roused by a great noise made by men in 
the house at three o'clock this morning. Americans do not seem to 
have the least idea of considering the comfort or the slumbers of 
other travellers in an hotel, if it please them to make an uproar dur- 
ing the night. I heard corks drawing, and as the Maine law has 
been introduced into Albany since Mr. Seymour's government, I 
suppose that day abstinence is made up for by night jollity. 

Albany^ June 4. — ^I have been resting and preparing for a fresh 

start the 6th. I shall leave R with friends here, and be quite 

independent of all but my episcopal guides, for Bishop Potter has 
engaged to give me over to the care of his brother of New York, 
somewhere on the borders of Lake Champlain, the last week of 
this month. I wish to see Ticonderoga, where my mother's father, 
General Grant, took the 42nd Highlanders (a regiment he first 
raised) into battle eight hundred strong and came out two hundred ! 
— a Balaclava in its way. The sermon of the Scotch previously is 
worth recording : ' My lads, I hae nae time for lang preachments, a' 
I hae to say is, nae cowards gae to Heaven ; and if ye dinna kill 
them they'll kill you.' I visited Dr. and Mrs. H 's pretty cot- 



GIRARD COLLEGE. 333 

tage, and dined with Mr. and Mrs. Hall, the evening before I left 
Albany to join tbe Bishop and Mrs. Potter at Philadelphia. 

June 6. — I set out at five o'clock in the morning, and reached 
New York about half-past nine. I remained at the St. Nicholas 
hotel till six in the evening, and saw there Governor Seymour and 
Sir Charles Grey, who soon returns to England. By the mail train, 
after a disagreeable journey, owing to tipsy rowdies being in the 
same cars, I reached the Pier House, Philadel] hia, at half-past nine 
o'clock. This town looks to much greater advantage, now the trees 
which border the streets are in leaf. After walking about all the 
morning, weather damp and showery, so violent a thunder-storm came 
on in the afternoon, rain pouring down in spouts, and from one 
house the w^ater falling from the rough tiles in so heavy a cascade, 
that it seemed as if a river had suddenly burst from the skies. I 
never saw rain in Europe like this. 

June 8. — Mr. S was so obliging as to take me to the Kensing- 
ton end of Philadelphia to call upon Mrs. R , a Quaker lady, to whom 

I was introduced at Washington, but she was on a tour in Kentucky. 
In this quarter of the town I saw a simple monument, erected on the 
spot where AVilliam Penn made his compact with the Indians, 
' The only treaty ever made without oaths, and the only one which 
was never violated.' 

The local Government have purchased ground to make an open 
square here. We afterwards visited Mr. Girard's College for the 
nurture and education of boys, without reference to the religious 
persuasions of their parents. I understand the children are reli- 
giously and morally brought up, but a particular clause in the will 
forbids the entrance of any clergyman into the building. It is a fine 
erection; the pediment supports gigantic Corinthian columns, the 
roof being entirely marble; such was the weight, that rows of 
parallel brick arches were erected, a few feet only apart from the 
supports. I went to the top. It is made for eternity, and is a mag- 
nificent specimen of architectural skill. Inmates may be received 
from New Orleans as well as Philadelphia, because the former was 
the first port to which the founder had a venture ; his trade was 



334 A COAL DISTRICT. 

principally with China, and it was in Philadelphia his fortune (the 
whole of which is devoted to this College) was made. He left di- 
rections in an elaborate will, that all articles of household furniture, 
and even his wearing apparel, should be preserved ; the latter, books, 
china, &c., are in glass cases. If the same funds had been left for 
educational purposes, there w-ould have been less glorification of the 
founder, but greater results. 

Afterwards I w^ent to the Museum, where there is one of the 
finest ornithological collections in the world, fossils, and a most 
curious collection of shells, upon which an elaborate work, entitled 
Types of Mankind^ w^as founded. I understand the book is written 
in a scoffing and ofiensive style, attacking the Bible under the influ- 
ence of strong prejudice ; but that it contains valuable facts : a habit 
among religious people of making the truth of the sacred Scriptures 
to depend upon their own narrow views, has but too frequently ar- 
rayed the discoveries of science, and the visible w^orks of the Creator, 
in opposition to that written w^ord with which (properly understood) 
they never have been, and never can be, otherwise than in accord- 
ance. 

At the Reading Station I joined the Bishop and Mrs. P , 

with their party of travellers ; in all seven ; among them a lady and 
gentleman with whom I dined at Baltimore. The railroad crosses 
and recrosses the River Schuylkill, a pretty course, until we arrived 
at the hotel at Mount Carbon, near Pottsville, a picturesque situa- 
tion. I was out at six o'clock next morning to put a recollection 
into ray sketch-book ; after breakfast we all went on delightful rail- 
way excursions in a small car belonging to the directors, up to the 
first coal mines of this mining country, through which the Bishop is 
making his visitation. JSI'othing could be more interesting than its 
geological features, particularly to a person but little acquainted with 
the history of coal. It lies very near the surface in extensive basins 
— an anthracite of the most brilliant exterior, which, after being 
created, has apparently (for the purpose of rendering it more ac- 
cessible), been heaved up and dislocated by the protrusion from be- 
neath of conglomerate rocks thrown up in" strata, sometimes per- 



TRAVELLING BY GRAVITATION. 335 

fectlj vertical. This operation has been repeated over and over 
again through the district we are visiting, with overwhelming evi- 
dence of design. 

In the shale above, we found the usual carboniferous fossils, and 
below red sandstone. All this goes on through Pottsville, Tus- 
carora, Tamaqua, and to Summit, one of the highest situations, 
where we slept the second night. From thence, early on Sunday- 
morning, we whirled down an inclined plane by gravity alone^ 
about nine miles, in a little open car, to Mauch Chunk {fat hear in 
the Indian language), a place set deep among the hills by the rapid 
dashing Lehigh, reminding me of Schalenbad, near Frankfort, in 
Germany, but much more beautiful. Instead of wood slides down 
the mountains, here the locomotives rise up, dragging long trains of 
coal waggons on ascents a mile and a half long, with a rise of fifteen 
hundred feet. We mounted the highest, and descended by curves 
and gravity a distance of sixteen miles. I was ashamed to shrink 
from the excursion ; but I must confess that terror and anxiety 
mastered enjoyment with me, the whole proceeding was so novel 
and terrific. Long practice must be necessary to convince a mind 
of its security. I heard Bishop Potter catechise the children in 
church, concisely, but most effectively ; and after morning service, 
and an excellent sermon, he confirmed a lady and gentleman of ma- 
ture age. Baptisms and confirmations of grown up people are com- 
mon in this country. The episcopal church is increasing rapidly, 
and at this place (Scranton), from which I now write, where the 
English and Welsh miners are numerous, I am told the people 
evince great attachment to it. The general affection for their 
bishop, and his worthiness, must tend much to strengthen this 
feeling. 

We remained two days at Wilkesbarre, a town on the Susque- 
hanna River, in the Valley of Wyoming; coal-fields surrounding it 
in every direction, and, as at Manchester, descending planes of rail- 
roads carrying off the produce on one side, water carriage taking it 
away the other, and the neighbourhood so beautiful that volumes of 
sketches might be made here. We visited a valley about two miles 



336 GEOLOGICAL RICHES. 

distant, wliere coal excavations, now deserted by the Baltimore 
company, resemble the openings of Egyptian tombs, and the en- 
trances going straight into the mountain, are hke vast halls sup- 
ported by massive pillars of coal. I think there are more English 
settled in these mining districts of Pennsylvania than in any part of 
the United States I have visited — more born English, I mean. I 
have before seen hordes of Irish, but English sparely scattered ; here 
the Iiish are in the minority. Those I have talked with say they 
are physically comfortable, and they do not dislike their new coun- 
try ; but they still prefer the old one — they do not think that jDrac- 
ticaily there is more liberty here than in England ; and an old 
soldier told me, in his opinion, the men in authority here ' are not 
as fitting for to bear rule as them with us.' 

We are now at Scran ton ; here iron is plentiful, and found in 
juxtaposition with the coal. The railway bars are manufactured 
and laid down at once, transmuted from the surrounding rocks, and 
made the means of conveying their own treasures ! It has been 
said ' an undevout astronomer is mad,' surely here one is made to 
say ' an undevout geologist must be insane 1 ' 

I am in hopes this ugly name of Scranton may be changed to 
that of Lackawanna, the Indian appellation for a lovely valley, which 
terminates the coal region on this side. I am now (June 16th) 
writing from a town called Montrose, situated in the northern part 
of Pennsylvania ; it is a very elevated situation. We rose a hill for 
some distance. The railway had conducted us about forty miles 
from Scranton ; our way followed the course of a deep glen, much 
resembling Glen Tilt, in Blair Athol, and we are hospitably received 
at the house of a gentleman here. 

Montrose, June 17. — After Morning Service the Bishop's duties 
took us to the house of a gentleman and lady, near Springfield ; and 
I do not think I was ever more interested by any religious services 
than there. A country church, which probably accommodated 
from two to three hundred people, was filled to overflowing by a 
respectable looking congregation, of which the majority were men. 
After an excellent sermon, touching upon the dangers, particularly 



NOVEL CHURN. 33V 

imminent in thriving communities, of the prevalence of a mammon- 
ite covetous spirit, the Bishop gave a short and simple explanation 
of the reasons which make confirraation a rite of the episcopal com- 
munion, preparatory to the reception of seven candidates ; one a 
venerable looking old man, and the other six considerably past 
youth. The whole congregation remained as witnesses, wrapt in 
mute attention ; the ceremony w^as strikingly impressive. That 
cartoon of Paul preaching at Athens, was vividly brought to my 
mind by the massive figure and countenance of the Bishop of 
Pennsylvania, earnest, eloquent, self-forgetting ; every eye turned 
upon him with an expression of love and veneration which could 
hardly have been exceeded in Apostolic days. Here, too, were early 
converts ; here, too, might be doubters and cavillei's to whom the 
scene was new ; but I felt sure that on this occasion many a sheep 
was gathered into one fold under one shepherd; and by a shepherd, 
too, who would watch over his increasing tiock with wisdom as well 
as tenderness. He is now received imder a roof not professedly at- 
tached to his church; but the hearts are with him, whether the 
external profession of its inmates may be his or not. 

A visit to this district is extremely refreshing as a counterpoise to 
the more worldly, ostentatious, selfish communities of commercial 
places. Here simplicity of manners, quietude of dress, and friendli- 
ness of feeling, are united with refinement and culture ; it is under 
such circumstances that the American character is seen to advan- 
tage. Agriculture predominates, and trade is subordinate ; the in- 
fluence of the former is certainly most salutary ; and when farming 
and gardening are pursued as a relaxation by men engaged in com- 
mercial life, I have remarked their beneficial influence upon charac- 
ter. A fine view of part of the Alleghany chain of mountains is 
obtained from this place; and there is an interesting little farm 
belonging to our hosts which supplies the best butter and cream I 
have tasted in the United States ; and what 'is more, the butter is 
churned by the willing co-operation of animals I never before saw 
industriously occupied. A small circular treadmill turns a wheel, 
attached to a kind of piston, which falls into the churn ; a ewe and 



338 VALLEY OF PEACE. 

her lambs are engaged in walking np-hill, towards a small hole in 
the wall of the shed which shelters the machine. A little salt and 
some meal placed in the hole is at once an incentive, and a reward 
of exertion ; and the old and young sheep appear most contentedly 
employed, while a dairy-woman is spared labour. She at times 
stops the machinery to rest the animals, who always seem willing to 
walk on again, after a fev/ minutes. As the movement depends 
upon weight, a sheep is more useful than a dog for this avocation ; 
besides which the latter is less plodding and not so benefited by 
clambering ; and the fattening of the mutton while her work goes 
on, is a proof it agrees with her. I have ordered one of these 
machines, and hope it will be a useful present to an English dairy. 

We returned to Montrose the evening of the 18th, as the Bishop 
was engaged to lecture there upon the ' Character of Washington,' 
in aid of the funds for building a parsonage house. His confirma- 
tion next day was at a place named Pike, and he allowed me to 
accompany him to see the Wiolusing (valley of peace). More 
appropriate and beautiful Indian names have been retained here- 
abouts than is common in America. The Susquehanna (winding 
river) twists about so as almost to encircle the country we have been 
traversing. We left Montrose early on the 21st, and went by New 
Milford to Great Bend ; wooded hills and vales are diversified by 
lakes and streams the whole way to Owego (or Auwega, the Indian 
name), from which place I now write; the Susquehanna again flow- 
ing opposite our hotel, as it did a hundred miles off at Wilkesbarre. 
To-morrow we proceed to Towanda. 

June 26. — Another pretty place on the Susquehanna. We have 
again followed that river from Great Bend. The valley from 
Waverly here is exceedingly fine, much resembling that of the Inn 
in Bavaria ; but the carriage-road follows the edge of a precipice 
nearly the whole way, and it is so narrow, that once when we met a 
small wagon, the horses were taken off, and the vehicle backed 
some distance before we could pass. On Sunday last I saw a young- 
lady, of mature age, baptized ; the baptismal font (as is usual in 
America) was within the communion-rails, between the reading-desk 



ELMIRA. 



339 



and pulpit ; and to those who consider symbohsms secondary to 
other considerations, this is pleasing and convenient, as the recipient 
kneels down at the rails. In the evening the Bishop confirmed the 
persons also chiefly beyond youth ; and in the afternoon he had a 
Service, principally for children. 

2lth.—lh\ W took charge of the rest of the party during 

a glorious drive of twenty miles across the mountains, while the 

Bishop and Mrs. P went off to another point for some distant 

duty. We did not meet them again till we had slept at the pretty 

town of Elmira, where Mrs. W and I took a pleasant and 

beautiful walk to one of numerous hills which surround the place, 
and there we saw a brilliant sunset. Here the formation is sand- 
stone, rich in fossils. The River Chemung flows through Elmira. 
We retired early and were up again by four o'clock. The Bishop 

met us at a station near C , and we were driven to Wellsborough 

by a gentleman who came with his carriage. There several hospitable 
houses were opened to the party, but we at last concentrated it at Mr. 

C 's, which was sufficiently large to receive us all, and to bestow 

every luxury and comfort. 

At first I was taken charge of most kindly by another f imily, 
and I felt almost open to the charge of ingratitude when I left 
them, at the instance of our guide and governor, to rejoin the rest 
of our travelling party ; but the son of those I deserted still under- 
took to aid my sketching and botanical propensities. In a distant 
ramble he procured me some yellow water lilies, the large leaves of 
which were more dark and shining than ours [Nuphar advena, or 
Spatter dock). They ornament the small creeks about here. Gray 
mentions the plant as most common in shallow waters. We found 
it blooming only at a depth of three or four feet, and sometimes 
the flowers were to be observed quite under ; perhaps this was in 
consequence of a late sudden rise in the streams. Linnsea borealis 
was plentiful, carpeting a forest of gigantic white pines ; and in the 
meadows I found Aster graminifolius. 

Within thirty or forty miles of this place, Rosa Lake gives rise 
to three streams, which flow north, east, and south. One empties 



.340 PLEASANT TRAVELLERS. 

itself into the St. Lawrence ; another into the Chesapeake, and a 
third into the Gulf of Mexico; so that these mountains must indeed 
be the Highlands of the United States. 

On Thursday, the 28th of June, we left Wellsborough, after 
entering the cars sixteen miles off. We journeyed to Batavia, passing 
Ly Bath and the medicinal springs of Avon. On the 29th, the rest 
of the party left me to proceed to Niagara, and I went alone forty 
miles by railroad to Canandaigua, where I again find myself the 

guest of Mr. and IMrs. G with whom I stayed some days last 

October. 

On Monday, July 2nd, I hope to reach Utica, where K 

is awaiting me, with the Governor and Mrs. Seymour. The weather 
is now intensely hot : for three days the thermometer has ranged 
above ninety degrees in the shade. Very active locomotion must 
be given up till after August, and I shall take this time for making 
quiet visits among friends in Xew York and New England States ; 
first seeing Trenton Falls, wdiere I hope once more to meet the 
Bishop of Pennsylvania and his party. We were together three 
such pleasant weeks ! I feel sure that not one unkind thought, or 
even one careless word cast a shadow over the enjoyment of a single 
individual among the seven who thus journeyed together ; and yet 
I have heard it said that travelling in company is one of the most 
severe tests to which temper and friendship can be subjected. I do 
not subscribe to that opinion. Change of scene is in itself a healthy 
kind of excitement, and therefore it is likely to make people good- 
humoured, and more accommodating than usual. I should be sorry 
to pin my faith upon the every-day kindness of a cross traveller. 

The country between Batavia and Canandaigua is less attractive 
than that we have lately seen. We came through part of the 
Genesee Valley the day before yesterday, which is very fine. 
Twenty years ago that was the boundary of civilisation ; now it is 
in the midst of towns and settlements. Anglo-Saxon energy, with 
a dash of German determination and Irish quickness, is flying over 
this immense continent almost as fast as the stream of electricity 
pervades and connects its most remote localities. Talk of American 



UTICA. 341 

nationality ! as if America is not an epitome of the world ; and 
surely the inhabitants of America may well be proud of their cos- 
mopolitanism, instead of fostering a narrow sectional spirit. They 
may succeed in transferring the blood of all nationalities into a pure 
New AVorld stream, if it be only healthfully taken charge of, with the 
sole exception of one dark current, with which they are entrusted 
for purification, not amalgamation — for education, not adoption. I 
forgot to say that m}'' intention of joining Bishop Horatio Potter 
was given up, or rather he has given me up. His brother concludes 
that Church affairs drew him another way ; and I have had quite 
sufficient to fill up ray time without attempting Ticonderoga at 
present. 

Utica, July 3. — Yesterday I accomplished, without much diflS- 
culty, a solitary journey here. More numerous packages (occupied 
by stones and flowers, &c.) than were quite convenient for an indi- 
vidual to undertake, during the necessary change of cars at Syracuse, 
exercised care and patience ; but I brought them all safe, and I have 

now rejoined R . My English letters have been delivered at 

New York — a disappointment, as I hoped to find them here ; but 
the electric telegraph will bring them quickly, and in the meanwhile 
I find some interesting American correspondence, particularly a letter 
from Bishop Elliott, in answer to an inquiry of mine as to whether 
Miss Bremer had not misunderstood his opinions upon slavery. I 
am not forbidden to quote from his reply, and I therefore extract 
freely from the conclusion. He first explains that he had only 
agreed with Miss Bremer in combating some extreme opinions. It 
is too important not to be made use of. 

The Bishop then says : — 

'It is well for Christians and philanthropists to consider whether, 
by their interference with this institution, they may not be checking 
and impeding a work which is manifestly providential. For nearly 
a hundred years the English and American Churches have been 
striving to civilize and Christianize Western Africn, and with what 
result ? Around Sierra Leone, and in the neighbourhood of Cape 
Paimas, a few natives have been made Christians, and some nations 



342 BISHOP ELLIOTT ON SLAVERY. 

have been partially civilized ; but what a small number in comparison 
with the thousands, nay, I may say milHons, Yvho have learned the 
way to Heaven, and who have been made to know their Saviour 
through the means of African slavery ! At this very moment there 
are from three to four miUions of Africans, educating for earth and 
for Heaven in the so vilified Southern States — educating in a thou- 
sand ways of which the world knows nothing — educating in our 
nurseries, in our chambers, in our parlours, in our workshops, and in 
our fields, as well as in our churches ; learning the very best lessons 
for a semi-barbarous people — lessons of self-control, of obedience, of 
perseverance, of adaptation of means to ends ; learning, above all, 
where their weakness lies, and how they may acquire strength for 
the battle of life. These considerations satisfy me with their con- 
dition, and assure me that it is the best relation they can, for the 
present, be made to occupy. As a race, they are steadily improving. 
So far from the institution being guilty of degrading the negro, and 
keeping him in degradation, it has elevated him in the scale of being- 
much above his nature and race, and it is continuing to do so. 
Place an imported African (of whom a few still remain) side by side 
with one of the third or fourth generation, and the difference is so 
marked that they look almost like distinct races — not only in mind 
and knowledge, but in physical structure. 

'That monkey face, the result of an excessively obtuse facial 
angle, has become, without any admixture of blood, almost as human 
as that we are accustomed to see in the white race, and it has a 
facial angle as distinctly a right angle as that which belongs to the 
Caucasian family. The thick lips have become thin — the dull eye 
is beaming with cunning, if not with intelligence ; the understanding- 
is acute and ingenious. Their knowledge, when they have been in- 
structed by missionaries or by owners, is respectable. A man has 
been made out of a barbarian, an intelligent and useful labourer out 
of an ignorant savage — a Christian and a child of God, out of a 
heathen ; and this is called degrading the African race, by holding 
them in slavery ! Such language is only of a piece with that miser- 
ably false sentimentalism which is pervading the world — such senti- 
mentalism as thinks it cruel that a child should be disciplined or a 



BISHOP ELLIOTT ON SLAVERY. 343 

criminal punished ; which looks so tenderly upon the means as quite 
to overlook the great end those means may be working out. God's 
ways are not discordant with this way of Slavery. He who sees 
everything in its true aspect, with whom a thousand years is as one 
day — in whose sight the light affliction of this life, which is but for 
a moment, is far outweighed by the glory which is to follow — cares 
very little for the present means through which His will is working. 
What is it that a man should be a slave, if through that means he 
may become a Christian ? What is it that one, or even ten genera- 
tions should be slaves, if, through that arrangement, a race be train- 
ing for future glory and self-dependence ? What are the sufferings 
(putting them at the worst) which the inhumanity and self-interest, 
and the restraints of law can inflict for a few generations, when com- 
pared with the blessings which may thus be wrought out for count- 
less nations inhabiting a continent? What is to be the course and 
what the end of this relation, God only knows. My feeling just now 
is, that I would defend it against all interference, just as I should 
defend my children from anyone who would tempt them to an im- 
proper independence ; just as I should defend any relation of life 
which man was attempting to break or to violate, ere the purpose of 
God in it had been worked out.' 

And these are the opinions of Bishop Elliott, of Georgia, the 
man who remained nursing and consoling the sick and the dying, 
and burying the dead, when Savannah was decimated by yellow 
fever, and when thousands were falling victims around him ! After 
this, who will dare, with a self-laudatory philanthropy, stand up and 
contrast his own abolitionism with the patient practical doings of a 
conscientious slave-owner ? Unhappily, it has of late years been too 
common among well-intentioned weak Christians to set up a stock 
of philanthropy at the expense of others. Let all do the work at 
their own doors, and the work of God in the world will be well done. 
If each man will reform himself, human nature will be effectually 
mended. But, as theory is easier than j^ractice, so it is more com- 
mon to look after the mote in our brother's eye than to take the 
beam out of our own. 

As a commentary upon the Slavery question, I add two articles 



344 



A NEGRO WEDDING. 



taken from newspapers — one, the account of a negro wedding, the 
other descriptive of a negro funeral. I must also mention that, in 
conversing with the free blacks, I rarely find them contented with 
their situation. An intelligent well-looking black carried my things 
from an hotel at Batavia to the train. I inquired if he liked the 

country ? — 'Pretty well, missus, but ' There is always a ' but' 

from the lips of a Northern black — rarely expressed in the South, 
where it is generally, 'Mighty fond of master or missus; black 
people well to do, not often too much work, missus ;' ' Many has got 
plenty of jewelry, missus ;' ' We get our own way, tolerable, missus,' 
&c., &c. 



Staunton, Jmie 24, 1855. 

A SLAVE WEDDING IN OLD VIRGINIA— THE INVITATIONS- 
NEGRO ARISTOCRACY, (fee, (fee. 

I send you herewith the originals of three invitations to a negro wed- 
ding, which is to take place on the 27th, at Richmond. The envelopes are 
in the best style of De la Rue and Co., open-work embossed, and of the 
finest texture. They enclose an embossed card, inscribed thus : — 



Mr. and Mrs. 


Taylor will be 


pleased to see you on 


Wednesday Ev 


jning, 


June 2*7 th, 


at 8| o'clock. 

Maria Johnson. 
Adam Hawkins. 


Richmond. 









The superscription is as follows: — 'Mr. Charles Jackson and lady, pre- 
sent ; ' the second is to ' Mr. Henry Cassie and ladj^, present; ' and the third 
to 'Mrs. Jane Hawkins.' The notes are written in a neat, Italian hand- 
writing, and tied with M'hite satin ribbon, a la mode de Paris. 

These invitations were all received by members of my family. Mrs. 
Hawkins is my cook; Mrs. Jackson my laundress; Mrs. Cassie my Jille de 
chambre. They are all slaves, and their husbands are also slaves, owned by 



A NEGRO FUNERAL. 845 

Bome of my neighbours. The happj- bridegroom is related to my coloured 
family. They will doubtless have a happy time of it, and I commead to 
Greeley the case of these 'oppressed children of Africa.' I am sorry that 
every abolitionist in the land should not have an opportunity to see one 
such Virginia wedding. Valley. 



A LARGE NEGRO FUNERAL. 



A coloured man named Samuel Betterson, an ordained deacon of the Sd 
Coloured Baptist Church, was buried yesterday afternoon. A very large 
number of his friends followed him to his grave. We noticed in the pro- 
cession, three uniformed fire companies, and another joined them on the 
South Common. The Porter's Association, of which he was a member, 
turned out, and wore black scarfs, with white rosettes. "We also noticed 
in the procession, two or three Female Benevolent Associations, distinguished 
by suitable dresses. A spectator counted thirty-five carriages, well filled, 
besides a number of other conveyances, and many on horseback, following 
the hearse. It is estimated that betv/een two thousand and two thousand 
five hundred coloured persons were in the procession. 

The mother of the Rev. John Cox, the coloured pastor of the 8d Baptist 
Church, was also buried yesterday afternoon. About fift}'^ carriages, con- 
taining her relations and friends, followed her remains to the grave. 

John Guerrard, a coloured fireman, and a member of engine No. 5, was 
also buried yesterday afternoon. The members of his company, in uniform, 
and a large number of his friends, in carriages and on horseback, followed 
him to the grave. 

We will add, for the information of our northern friends, that the funeral 
processions above noticed were perfectly quiet and orderly, and that every 
thing connected wtth them was conducted with the utmost decorum and 
propriety. 

July 4. — I am now again with Mr. and Mrs. Seymour. Utica 
is a pleasant town ; the Valley of the Mohawk, in which it is situated, 
is highly cultivated. Mrs. J. Seymour took me last evening to one 
of the low surrounding hills, and I thought the view resembling 
those from some of our Gloucestershire elevations. We went to see 
the pretty rural cemetery, and sat down upon a boulder of granite, 
16 



346 CAZENOVIA. 

once considered the sacred stone of the Indians. It was brought 
from a distance of thirty miles to save it from destruction, and room 
was left around the little mound where it was placed for the inter- 
ment of any of the red people who might wish to be buried near it. 
Many of them attended the consecration of the cemetery, but not 
one has ever availed himself of the privilege of interment there, 
partly because the tribes have almost all gone West ; and any indi- 
viduals who may still linger in the Oneida land are too poor to incur 
the expense of distant funerals. 

Here there is an American nursery gardener really fond of 
flowers — the first time I have met with a native of the United States 
with that taste powerful enough to induce him to devote himself to 
their cultivation. All the nursery men I have made acquaintance 
with before have been English, Scotch, or Irish, and none of them 
found sufficient encouragement to be much devoted to their pursuit. 
This, the anniversary of American Independence, is a day of noisy 
rejoicing, taken advantage of by boys and men for a Saturnalia of 
squibs and crackers, which are not only unceasingly exploding to- 
day, but have been unpleasantly active ever since I arrived, on 
Monday. It is more alarming for horses and for petticoats than even 
our celebration of Guy Fawkes. In the afternoon, Mr. and Mrs. 
Sevmour are to take me to the residence of their brother-in-law, forty 
miles off, at Cazenovia, which I understand is a beautiful locality, 
and one abounding in fossils. 

Cazenovia, July 5. — We went thirty-five miles by cars, a few 

miles in a stage, and at Chittenango Mr. L met us with his 

carriage. Chittenango means, ' the river flowing north ; ' Chenango, 
'the water going south.' From Chittenango there is a gradual rise 
of eight miles to Cazenovia. Limestone caps the hills : as you ad- 
vance, scarlet berried elders appear accompanying it ; and by the 
sides of the valley I found Psoralea Onobryches, the scarlet maple, 
and a beautiful rose-coloured Calystegia, so difierent in tint and cha- 
racter from Sepium, I can think it only a variety. We stopped 
on our way to see a pretty fall of the Chittenango. I expected to 
find Cazenovia a wild, rocky, mountainous lake, the settlement built 



ORNITHOLOGY. S4'7 

of log-houses, and buried in pine-woods. I find a calm water, some- 
thing like Wenham Pond, about four miles long, with an orna- 
mented regular little town, and Mr. L.'s house overlooking the water 
— a solid, brick, English-like residence. It is all pretty, but quite in 
a different style from that my imagination had pictured. The situ- 
ation is as high as the Lake of Geneva. We took an interesting 
drive yesterday to see one of the sulphur sinks, or green ponds, 
twelve miles distance, and on the way there were extended views in 
every direction. One fine prospect took in the whole length of Lake 
Oneida, twenty miles ; and in that direction it seemed possible to 
see almost to Canada. Valleys between these limestone ridges are 
beheved to be the work of denudation, and such circular ponds as 
those we saw yesterday have been possibly caused by the melting of 

salt formations, which Mr. L thinks may have been carried off 

to enrich the salt-pans of Syracuse. The fossils of this district are 
very interesting and new to me : I never before saw sucli gigantic 
Trilobites — they are almost as large as the cast of one shown to me 
at Cincinnati. 

At last I have seen a humming-bird ; and, foolishly enough, I 
was surprised by its humming. I thought the name was owing to 
their resemblance to a bee on the wing, but they hum louder than 
any bee ; and the one I saw sat a long time on a sprig, and seemed 
to be drying his little self in the sun, after the wet in the morning ; 
if disturbed, it only flew to a post near the tree upon which we 
first observed it, and then went back again. I did not see him 
feed ; yet I understand he is seldom to be seen but on the wing 

feeding. Yesterday, Mr. L pointed out the kingbird, a little 

unarmed bird, w^hich, by activity and perseverance, asserts a sove- 
reignty over the feathered tribe, and chases even hawks away from a 
field. I observed him banishing a crow six times as large as him- 
self: he follows incessantly, and torments until his subject flies off. 
Here I have been shown some curious nests. It seems the cow- 
bird in this country is as indolent a mother as our cuckoo : she lays 
an egg in the nests of other birds, and leaves it to take its chance in 
a strange family. A species of linnet is wise enough to find out the 



348 RURAL HOTEL. 

liberty taken at her expense : in one instance she inserted another 
nest above the intruded egg, so as to leave it unhatched ; in another, 
the linnet contrived to sink the cow-bird's progeny below her own 
eggs. The oriole will appropriate any silk or worsted put in her way, 
and I am to have a very pretty nest interlaced with scarlet wool ; 
and the fine line of a fishing rod, with the hook attached, has also 
been turned in with other materials. The yellow linnet is a very 
showy little bird. I have seen here also a milk-white woodpecker, 
with black wings and neck. What is here called a robin is more 
like one of our thrushes, with a faint tinge of red on his breast. It 
may be remarked in this neighbourhood, elevated as it is, that a large 
quantity of drift has at some time been brought here from Canada. 
Large boulders and rolled pebbles of granite and gneiss form part of 
it ; and as these increase in size and quantity going northward, their 
progress and direction can be traced. In a forest near the ' Green 
Pond,' for the first time I found what is called the walking fern 
(Campsoi'us JRhi/sophyUus). 

Friday, July 6. — We set ofi" to see a pretty waterfall about eight 
miles from Cazenovia, and as I sketched from long grass in a down- 
pour of rain, I got thoroughly wet ; but the interest of the place kept 
me warm, and no mischief happened from the drive back in wet 
things. ■ In the afternoon we were rowed upon the lake very pleas- 
antly by a little girl under twelve years of age. 

July 1th. — I returned with Mr. and Mrs. Seymour, to Utica, in 
our way to Trenton Falls, where we met three of my fellow-tourists 
in Pennsylvania ; but the Bishop and Mrs. Potter had been obliged 
to go off in another direction. 

July Sth. — This is the most charming and rural hotel I have 
seen in America ; it is situated almost in a dense hemlock spruce 
forest, and has a garden quite English in style and neatness ; and 
the rooms, brightly clean and comfortable, are decorated with prints 
and drawings chosen with artistic taste. The present landlord mar- 
ried a daughter of the first possessor of this property twenty years 
ago, and is now the owner. Everything about it is in accordance 
with the beauty and magnificence of its natural scenery : no forced 



A FOREST SWAMP. 349 

ornaments or glaring paint jars upon the feelings or hurts the eye. 
Here is a kind of mesmeric influence which impresses the heart un- 
consciously : a sincere worshipper of nature is at once assured that 
one of her most lovely shrines cannot be desecrated by an adoration 
of Mammon's golden idol. Mr. Moore is worthy of Trenton both by 
taste and education. This name Trenton was formerly Oldenbarne- 
veld : one regrets it, although originating from the Hollanders, not 
the Indian, whose appropriate appellation was 'Kangahoora' (leap- 
ing waters), and he called the river Kanatd (Amber River), equally 
descriptive ; for at some places the falls resemble liquid amber, and 
occasionally the tumbling stream appears to have an edging of gold. 
The Governor and Mrs. Seymour first took me to see it from the 
Forest-walk, where the chasm below resembled that of the Tilt at 
Blair Athol, only filled by a wider, larger river, and by a succession 
of higher falls. 

After dinner Mr. Moore took us a long walk, over wall and fence, 
to see a railroad in process of formation, by the aid of a very power- 
ful and ingenious machine, worked by steam. The ground it is ex- 
cavating is a hill of sand ; an immense scoop, with a kind of trap- 
door behind, pokes iu and fills itself, and then turns quietly and 
majestically round alone to the wagon at one side ; the scoop then 
opens and at once deposits half a load, while people above push 
down the undermined ground ; at this rate a mountain rapidly van- 
ishes. I am no mechanic, but there is a simple grandeur in these 
evolutions which touched me considerably. I have always felt that 
even railroads have their poetry, and if I were a rhymer, this grand, 
solemn workman would set me rhyming. 

In our way back Mr. Moore was so obliging as to accede to my 
wish that he would take me into a forest swamp, to see the mocas- 
sin flower growing; as we had to go down a steep woody hill, 
guided by a man living near, the rest of the party, excepting one 
young man, deserted. I was fully repaid for a rather diflScult 
scramble by finding numbers of the beautiful pink Cyprepedium 
spectabile (I should not call it purple) and Lilium Canadense by its 
side. The latter I have occasionally seen by the edges of railroads, 



350 THE 'boiling pot.' 

but I never before gathered it. The pretty Httle white anemone- 
Hke-looking Dahbarda repens was also in flower all over the adjoin- 
ing banks. 

Next morning Mr. Moore took charge of us during a walk to all 
the falls along the edge of the torrent; without his experienced 
guidance I should have been afraid to undertake this, but as the 
water was high enough for beauty and not too high for safety, it was 
very enjoyable. I sketched the three principal cataracts. It will 
not do to compare them with Niagara — it is an entirely different 
kind of thing ; but certainly after Niagara I should prefer visiting 
Trenton to any other water scenery in America. Some of the party 
were obliged to leave us at one o'clock ; but Mrs. Seymour and I 
delayed our departure till five, and remained out till near three. 

Within the spray of one of the falls I discovered a small fern 
(some species of Pteris) not described by Gray, and I cannot help 
hoping it is altogether new to botanists. It is about the size of an 
Asplenium ruta muraria, but a bright green, and the fronds soft, not 
shining, and not crisp, like the Pteris crispa. We returned to Utica 
in the evening, and yesterday Governor Seymour came with me to 
Albany. I now write again from the Congress Hotel, and to- 
morrow it is my plan to go over to visit Mrs. Edwards, at Lenox, 
Mass. I understand it is a pretty place among the Berkshire hills ; 
from thence I shall go on to spend a month among my Boston 
friends, and there I shall have enough to do to unpack and arrange 
the numerous boxes of stones, shells, and plants, I have at different 
times forwarded to Mr. Long's care. 

Yours affectionately, 

A."m. M. 

Albany, July 11. 

P. S. — In coming from Utica yesterday we almost followed the 
course of the Mohawk River, and came through several places which 
still retain the Indian names — Canojoharie (the ' boiling-pot') from 
a spring which resembles a small whirlpool, and Schenectady (the 
end of the pine plain). 



LETTER XXYIII. 



Lenox, Bekkshiee Hills, Massachusetts, ) 
July 13, 1855. . f 

Mr Dear Friends, — 

This place differs from all those I have before seen in the 
United States. A cottage belonging to my hosts is situated on an 
eminence, nearly in the centre of an extensive valley ; yet the sur- 
rounding country is hardly a vale. It is a depression made uj) of 
numberless unequal hills, and bounded by higher irregular ones, with 
fine mountains showing north and south, at a distance of about twen- 
ty-five or thirty miles. Saddleback to the north, emulates Loch na 
Garr, near Balmoral, in form ; Washington southwards is its twin 
mountain, though apparently less grand. About a mile in front of 
the house there are small lakes, bordered and half hid by woods and 
broken ground. At present no ofiices or interfering plantations shut 
out the panorama, and its eflect upon the windows and lawn is al- 
most perfect — rather Scotch than Swiss in character ; but, as seen 
from the house, it is a view which embraces a wider and more varied 
extent than any I know elsewhere as a home prospect. Although 
many have one side from which a still greater expanse of hills, val- 
leys, and lakes may be seen, I am not acquainted with any other 
spot which has such views on every side. Mrs. and Miss Catharine 
Sedgwick live near Lenox. One evening we drank tea with them, 
and met Mr. and Mrs. R. P. James. Mrs. Fanny Kemble has a cot- 



352 A SHAKER VILLAGE. 

tage near. Authors and poets seem to congregate around this, the 

* Lake District ' of the United States. 

Through Miss Sedgwick I got some Indian names of places — 
names that are now fast fading out of memory ; but she has rescued 
these from the talk of an Indian woman, and they are worth preser- 
vation. A river, now called Housatonic, flows below Lenox. This 
is a corruption of ' Awastonook ' (over the mountains). The Indians 
so called it when they came from the Hudson. There is a spot 
called now Elizabeth Lot (Elizabeth is ' x\uchweera6e,' the name of a 
berry). That place was also 'Nanwodtama' (middle of the town). 
In the pronunciation, the first syllable, Audi, should be spoken gut- 
turally. Kinkerpot, a small lake near, has not so euphonious a sound 
as usual ; it w\as ' Kinkapotamia' (where a mare was drawn out of the 
water). A beautiful meadow, where maple trees grow, bore the 
name 'Hackpeehink ' (the nation's sugar place). A should be uttered 
long as mfar ; the ch gutturally ; u with a long sound, as in full. 

* Hackpeehuckchoo ' (the rising mountain), and Scott's Lake between 
Lenox and Lee, was ' jS[atchovtashmuch ' (cutting bulrushes). ' Th^ 
rattlesnake mountain,' ' Taheecannach,' but that word signifies heart, 
and it was for some reason associated with the afi'ection then borne 
by the Indians towards the white race. 'Cachcawalchook,' one of 
the m.ountains near Stockbridge, means 'crossing the mountains.' 

* Massmasschaick,' a 'fish's nest,' is now Monument Mountain. The 
tribe of Indians who came to these parts from the North River 
was called ' Maheecannoek.' ' Choo,' or ' Chook,' means mountain. 
' Queecheeochook,' 'mountain river.' ' Pahquinapackkuch,' 'dark 
water.' ' Pangqueseek,' the name of a marsh near this place. ' Wash- 
cuing' and ' Washenee are now the Salisbury Lakes. 

I was taken to visit a Shaker village, which, perhaps, from the 
beauty of its situation, appeared less gloomy than the establishment I 
saw last year near Albany. But, after all, these places are little bet- 
ter than open mad houses. The inhabitants generally look ill and 
depressed. One pretty rosy little girl about thirteen attracted our 
notice. She looked quite out of place, but fortunately, as Shakers 
are not bound by vows, she may be freed some of these days — and 



CAMBRIDGE. 353 

inmates often do grow tired of sucli a cold formal life, and make off. One 
woman, not long ago, left this village, and engaged herself in one of 
the most noisy factories she could find. I suppose the contrast w^as 
agreeable. Another day I went to see what is called the Ice Valley, 
near Stockbridge. Heaps of massive rocks are thrown one upon 
another in a narrow gorge, to which the sun never penetrates ; and 
in some deep holes winter snows accumulate, and remain unthawed 
through the hottest summers. Rambling about and sketching have 
occupied my time during a pleasant ten days passed among the 
Berkshire hills, so journalizing has been at a standstill. 

Cambridge, near Boston., July 28. — I am now with Dr. and 
Mrs. Gray, at the Botanic Garden. We came by Springfield, throuo-h 
which town the Connecticut flows, a fine river. The path of the 
railroad goes through a mountainous district the first fifty miles. 

Juhj 24. — I went to the cottage of my friend, Mr. F at 

Brookline ; and I was surprised to find it rurally situated, amono- 
woods and hills, equi-distant from the villages of Brighton and Brook- 
Hne, instead of being in a flat uninteresting country. 

July 28. — I took the railroad five miles to Boston, and saw Cap- 
tain Judkins, who this time has brought in the Canada, instead of 
daptain Stone. Captain Judkins was wsent with troops for the Cri- 
mea, in the Arabia, but he got the fever and was invalided home * 
Captain Stone replaced him ; and on Captain Judkins's recovery, he 
took charge of the Canada till the large new steamer, Persia, just 
launched, is ready for sea. I have engaged my old berth for the 
last week in October, as that time is considered favourable for makino* 
the voyage home. In one of the papers I see that a Creole, at Ha- 
vana, has been thrown into prison on suspicion of possessino- a like- 
ness of Ramon Pinto. Yesterday I heard another anecdote, illustra- 
tive of slavery and the negro character. My informant, who was 
lately travelling in Virginia, was at Sulphur Springs. The master of 
the hotel had a clever active black waiter, but he was a ' bad boy.' 
After some particular act of misconduct, the master called up his 
slave : 

* You are a hopeless rascal, Horace ; I will have nothing more to 
16* 



354 WHITES IN THE NORTHERN STATES. 

do with you. Here are some dollars and your papers of freedom ; 
go oft' into Kentucky, and never let me see you again.' 

' Can't possible, massa ; won't go, massa.' 

' Won't ! but you must ! you are quite able to take care of your 
self.' 

' Sha'n't, massa. Fac is, can't no way 'gree with them free nig- 
gers.' 

And Horace remained ; his owner might flog, but it is hardly 
possible for him to shake oft' a servant determined not to go ; sell- 
ing is the only way. But respectable slaveowners are very adverse 
to this mode of ' proceeding ; and it is not easy to get rid of a trouble- 
some negro.' In some respects the masters are the slaves of their 
servants, who often dictate instead of obeying. I here repeat, what 
probably my friends in England will be slow in believing, that, in 
the mass. Southern slaveowners are conscientiously fulfilling their try- 
ing and painful duties ; and that I have seen more of comfort, cheer- 
fulness, contentment, and religious principle among negroes of the 
Southern States, than among any other working population of the 
same amount, eithei' here, or in England. In the Northern States 
the whites have great physical and mental advantages ; but there is 
an absence of true contentment among them, and a prevalence of 
insanity sad to contemplate. I suppose the restlessness consequent 
upon a new country and Republican institutions does not tend to real 
self-happiness. I must positively assei't that the countenances and 
manner of Americans as a nation, do not express contentment. That 
there may be heart-rending abuses in the South I do not deny, though 
I have not witnessed them ; but what is there which is not liable to 
abuse ? I could tell of heart-rending abuses in the North. ' Offen- 
ces will come, but woe unto them by whom they come.' No one 
can doubt that the change of the education and improvement of a 
black population, through slavery, is a trying and arduous responsi- 
bility — a task for which pecuniary advantages are a poor compen- 
sation, and one which is not often repaid by either pecuniary or 
moral profit ; and there are dangerous and awful temptations ac- 
icompanying it ; but are not temptations God's discipline for life ? 



SLAVERY AN ORDINATION OF GOD. 355 

We cannot suppose they will ever be removed ; but we must take 
care they ' bring forth fruit in due season.' Personally, with all my 
love of freedom, I would much prefer to be a slave in the South (not 
in Cuba), than one of those pariahs, called free negroes in the 
North. 

I am now with an abolitionist friend, who, like most abolition- 
ists, has never visited the South. We can therefore sympathize only 
in a wish to see those States free where black labour can be super- 
seded by white — and this for the sake of the white race rather than 
the black. I cannot praise those Southerners who keep their slaves, 
all the while maintaining that Slavery is a dark spot, to be washed 
ofiF the first convenient opportunity. Such slaveowners are sinning 
against conscience ; they must believe in slavery as one of the means 
by which it pleases the Most High to discipline the white and the 
black for higher things ; or they must at any cost repudiate Slavery 
altogether. Had the civilized world united to regulate instead of 
attempting to abolish, each black, as he gained sufficient knowledge, 
habits of forethought, and industry, might by law have been given 
the right to purchase his own freedom at a certain age, and such 
negroes would have gone back to Christianize and civilize Africa. 
But the futile endeavour to abolish, instead of to regulate, has re- 
sulted in injury instead of benefit to the black race ; just as the 
Maine Law punishes the use rather than the abuse, of spirituous 
liquors. At one house, the house too of a great abolitionist and pro- 
moter of the Maine Law, I met with ' tipsy-cake,' and saw it liberally 
bestowed even upon children ! So we may eat drink, but we must 
not drink drink ! Is not this humbug ? 

August 6. — We have been paying a very agreeable visit at the 
house of that good Mr. Forbes, ^vho headed a petition to his Gov- 
ernment, and commanded ships -svhich brought out American con- 
tributions of food to the starving L-ish. This was indeed a brotherly 
act — a grateful acknowledgment of the ' one ancestry ' which now 
and ever should be a bond of affection between our lands ; and I 
trust whatever family jars and misunderstandings may have arisen 
in past times tp separate parent and children, the 'war hatchet' is 



356 TRAVELLING-BAG LIFE-PRESERVER. 

now for ever sunk in those unfiithomable ocean depths by which 
England and America are at once divided and united. 

Milton has a charming vicinity ; fine trees, hedges, and even 
roads, bordered by hedges, from which hang lovely draperies of 
smilax and vines, English in outline if not in detail. The village is 
on high ground, and has every here and there extensive views, with 
the sea, and Boston, and Boston Harbour— particularly from the 
granite quarries towards the blue hills. I spent a whole morning 
there, with an American friend who sympathized in the pleasures of 
sketching. Rattlesnakes are not uncommon, but that reptile is 
fortunately timid, and rarely stings ; even the women and children 
who are scattered about ' berrying ' — that is, gathering the berries 
of a productive huckleberry ( Vaccinium or Galyussacia resmosa). 
Men find thick leather boots or gaiters quite sufiicient protection, 
for rattlesnakes never strike high. 

We passed one pleasant day on the sandy sea shore above Nan- 
tasket River — a pic-nic party ; and there I saw, as last year at New- 
port, young ladies and gentlemen dancing among the waves, as it is 
a convenient place for bathing. Mr. Forbes went into the water 
and experimented upon his travelling-bag life-preserver — which he 
thought effectual enough, but then the sea was very calm. Many 
vessels dotted the ofiing. A sandy bay extends five miles in one 
direction, whilst the other side is indented by rocky inlets, Cape 
Anne clearly visible in the distance. Among other plants, I found 
for the Srst time Lycopodium rupestris. 

BrooMine, August 10. — Before my return here I spent a morn- 
ing at the Botanic Garden, Cambridge, with Dr. and Mrs. Gray, to 
meet Miss Morris, a botanical lady from Philadelphia ; we called at 
the house of Professor Agassiz, but he was deeply engaged in ' em- 
bryological researches,' at Nahant. From Brookline I went to the 

Beverley shore, to spend a few days with Mr. and Mrs. L , 

under whose hospitable roof I met Avith my first welcome this side 
the Atlantic, and I wrote about their pretty place last year. 

Providence, August 18. — T came here on the 14th, for the 
meeting of the American Scientific Association, that I might see the 



THE WISE MEN OF THE WEST. 357 

wise men of the "West assembled together. I am in the pleasant 
and even luxurious abode of Mr. and Mrs. M. B. Ives, who sent me 
a kind invitation through Mr. President Wayland. 

August 15. — We attended the morning session ; that day there 
were no separate sections. Professor Lomax (after the Chairman, Dr. 
Torry, had opened the meeting) read a paper upon the temperature 
of planetary bodies, and of the space through which they travel. 
This subject raised an animated and interesting discussion, which 
was carried on by Agassiz, Henry, Bache, Pierce, Rogers, &c. &c. 
The question about a lunar atmosphere seems still doubtful ; one 
astronomer present adduced proofs that signs of twilight were 
evident, which would speak to the fact of an atmosphere for the 
moon. (I forgot to mention that I passed a delightful day with 
Professor and Mrs. Agassiz at Nahant, and he was generous enough 
to admit the value, and be pleased with the fossils I brought from 
Ocala and the Silver Spring, in the middle of Florida, and he also 
said that the existence of cretaceous tertiary formations there had 
not before been ascertained ) During the discussion of Professor 
Lomax's papers, a pretty general agreement appeared to be arrived 
at ; that the question of temperature must be so dependent upon 
whatever internal heat the several planetary bodies may preserve or 
evolve, that any calculation with regard to their distances from the 
sun, cannot give certainty about their individual temperature. But 
Agassiz expressed a decided opinion, that if there are animal organ- 
isms inhabiting the planets, they must be constituted in a manner 
entirely differing from terestrial creatures ; and if (as I think Whe- 
well remarks) the laws of fluids, of light and of motion are similar 
in the earth and the other bodies, then it seems a fair deduction that 
as yet there has been no creation of life in worlds incapable of sup- 
porting such life as -we know of. Professor Bache, Director of the 
General Coast Survey, showed that the commonly received notion of 
the existence of one great tidal wave, is a mistake. He stated that 
although something is know^n as to the direction of tidal waves in 



358 FROZEN WELLS. 

the Atlantic, very little or nothing has yet been ascertained respect- 
ing those of the Pacific. President Wayland had an evening 
reception, which everybody attended ; it was a very pleasant party. 

During the morning session of August 16th, Bache gave an 
account of a great earthquake wave on the western coast of the 
Pacific. Professor Brockleby read a paper upon remarkable frozen 
wells near Owego, which have ice during the hottest summers. 
Agassiz, as usual, charmed and informed everyone by his lucid 
statement of some zoological facts, and Mr. Blake gave us a new 
and interesting notice upon the geology of California. 

In the evening there was an assembly at Mr. Allen's, where I 
was introduced to Miss Maria Mitchell, the American Mrs. Somer- 
ville; she is as simple and unassuming in manner as our great 
astrono7ness. 

Friday. — Professor Hall explained much about graptolites that 
was new to me ; he used a lady's parasol to exemplify the form of 
some of these polypi, and Agassiz following, made some of his lively 
instructive remarks, in which he amused the audience by caUing the 
parasol ' this tool ; ' he showed that some of the associated polypi 
are probably higher in the scale of organization than single indi- 
viduals. A terrific gunpowder explosion which occurred at Wil- 
mington some short time ago, by the blowing up of three wagons 
(which though under a regulation of separate departure, had con- 
trived to travel in company), afibrded opportunity for another lively 
discussion, which explained some of the curious phenomena observed 
to result from that explosion, and a debate (also conversational), upon 
Professor Bache's account of the co-tidal lines upon the Pacific 
coast, exemplified how naturally each branch of science dove- tails into 
all. To the zoologists these tides offer reasons, wdiich partly explain 
the geographical distribution of fishes. To the mathematician they 
read or resolve problems ; — whilst they also aid and confirm the 
observations of geology, and thus it w\is shown how the cultivation 
of each science elucidates every other branch of knowledge. As to 
the mathematical and optical sections, they were beyond my com- 
prehension, and I therefore avoided them as much as possible ; but 



ZODIACAL LIGHT. 359 

in doing so, I missed hearing Mr. Jones's observations on the Zodia- 
cal Light, which I am told were deeply interesting. From two hun- 
dred and fifty careful observations, he decides it to be of the same 
nature as the ring of Saturn ; but another great astronomer asserted 
that Saturn's ring is gradually approaching the body of the planet, 
and that within eighty years they must meet. I do not understand 
how these two discoveries are to be reconciled. During the section 
of iSTatural History this morning, Professor Agassiz showed by a 
clear chain of argument and deduction, that the newly discovered 
jaw of a species of shark brought from carboniferous formations in 
Western America (I think from Wisconsin), belongs to the sword- 
fish division of that family. Professor Henry made a useful practical 
statement, respecting the best mode of testing building materials; he 
mentioned that blocks of stone coated (or rather divided from each 
other) by plates of tin, support double the weight, borne by those 
which have lead between them, because the latter substance gives 
way to pressure much more easily than tin. Mr. Blake continued 
his observations upon the geology of California, and the mountainous 
ridges along the western coast, and Professor Hitchcock exhibited 
curious drawings from the foot impressions of a most extraordinary 
four- toed, two-legged kind of frog, which must have been larger than 
the largest elephant we know of. I cannot feel sure that I have 
discovered the pith of what I have been listening to these last three 
days, in this hasty sketch, but perhaps it may enable you to judge 
that a great deal of information was elicited, and that the subjects 
brought forward were by no means dry even to unscientific hearers. 
Saturday evening I went to a party at Professor Caswell's ; and 
yesterday I visited the President and Mrs. Wayland. 

Last night a gentleman of high reputation in the legal profes- 
sion told me that the fi-ee black people die out so rapidly, that, 
although himself a man only in middle age, he remembers when 
almost every servant in the town was black or coloured, yet now few 
of that race are left. His general views upon the subject of slavery 
were in perfect accordance with those observation has led me to 
adopt ; and he thinks that, notwithstanding the eagerness and acti- 



360 WHEATLET LEAD MINES. 

vity of the anti-slavery party, even in the North, a majority of the 
calm and unprejudiced minds would coincide in these opinions; and 
that many former abolitionists are adopting them. Dr. Adams, who 
distinguished himself on the anti-slavery side, after a visit to the 
South of sufficient investigation, has published a pamphlet recanting 
former opinions. Judge Wayne, also, confirms my observations 
respecting the strongly aristocratic feeling which prevails among the 
slaves. They consider it is losing caste to connect themselves by 
marriage with the people who may belong to masters of their own 
race, or even with those of inferior 'Buckras;' and he has known 
many instances of respectable and educated blacks (of individuals 
who have been elevated, not degraded, by slave institutions) who 
have positively refused offers of freedom, saying they did not want 
to leave a country the laws of which they understood, to go to one 
where, perhaps, they may find themselves uncomfortable, and that 
among whites it was far more respectable for them to have a mas- 
ter. This I am inclined to believe is the opinion of the best informed 
and most superior among the black men — of course there will be 
exceptions; but it is the giddy and profligate negro, as a general rule, 
who seeks freedom by running away. This subject is so frequently 
a topic of conversation, that, as long as I remain in America, it will 
turn up in every day remarks. 

Monday^ August 21, was occupied by papers and discussions upon 
various subjects. Mr. Lawrence gave a lecture on minerals of the 
Wheatley lead mines, and the method of analyzing sulphates, 
arsenates, and molybdates of lead. The Rev. Mr. Brooks stated a 
large number of facts, showing the fatal results which have followed 
from the marriages of blood relations. This brought up Agassiz 
upon races — his observations were veiy curious and striking. Then 
we had Mr. Blake's notes upon the mammoth Red wood trees 
(Sequoias) of Calaveros county, California ; that tree named by 
Lindley, ' Wellingtonia,' is also a sequoia, Dr. Torry says. Mr. 
Blake gave me a specimen of this wood, which, washed over with 
a sponge dipped in a solution of soda, immediately became so dark 
as to be almost ebony like. That evening an assembly was held by 



MR. ABBOTT LAWRENCE. 361 

the Mayor of Providence. Mr. Brown and I leave for New York 
this morning, the 21st; and as Agassiz and many others of the 
scientific body, consider it their duty to attend the funeral of Mr. 
Abott Lawrence in the Auburn Cemetery to-morrow, the meeting 
must be nearly at an end. Professor Bache and others offered their 
tribute of gratitude yesterday in eulogiums upon Mr. Lawrence, 
who was so great a benefactor to science that the sincere regrets 
of that body are united to those of all other classes upon his 
death. 

Neil) York, August 23. — I got to the St. Nicholas Hotel after 
a pretty but dusty journey from Providence. General Scott will ac- 
company me to West Point. He is the commander-in-chief of the 
American army — an old soldier, six feet five inches in height, who, 
although he slill suffers from wounds received in warring with his 
old country brethren, does not belie his Scotch descent either in 
appearance or feeling. I have taken rooms at the New York Hotel 
for the 27th, to be near the place where the Educational Con- 
vention will assemble, — the same Convention I attended at Wash- 
ington, and the next assembling of which I then promised to 
visit. 

West Pointy August 25. — This, indeed, is the finest locality pos- 
sible for a military school, and it appears to bestow such an educa- 
tion as, with some variation, might be a model of early training. 
Five years is the usual term, and seventeen, or at earliest fifteen, the 
age of admission. During my travels in the United States, when- 
ever I have fallen in with a young man who struck me as superior 
in informfition, and even in manner, I usually found he had been a 
Cadet at West Point. It is situated in a beautiful highland dis- 
trict upon the banks of the North River. At present the summer 
vacation is still unconcluded, and the Cadets who do not take advan- 
tage of it are encamped in tents on what is called ' The Plain,' and 
subject to complete military rule. Last night we went to evening 
parade. There was a bright moon in unison with a glowing sunset 
as we left the ground ; it was altogether one of the prettiest and 
most cheerful scenes I have witnesse^l in America, where one great 



362 PALACE OF THE HILLS. 

lack is the absence of athletic games and merry out-of-door amuse- 
ments for the people. The puritanical leaven has, I suppose, checked 
everything like games, and this may be one reason for the depres- 
sion and melancholy which prevail through the general population. 
There appears to be no reasonable medium between rowdyism and 
gloom ; and so even fires are taken advantage of by the young men 
and boys to get at something like a 'lark.' I am going on to the 
Catskill Mountains to-morrow. 

Mountain House, Catskill, August 27. — This hotel, hung like a 
bird's nest two thousand five hundred feet above the North River, at 
the distance of thirteen miles, is placed on a beautiful spot, just 
where a sunrise can be seen to most advantage ; and I am so for- 
tunate as to have a room, the windows of which look the right way ; 
but unfortunately the sun rose concealed this morning — still it was 
fine to see the clouds chasing each other across the moss below. I 
heard a lady in the open gallery asking in sober earnest, ' Is the sun 
going to rise this morning 1 ' He was certainly up, though not visi- 
ble ; and the valley was soon also entirely concealed. I went out by 
six o'clock, and had a pleasant scramble on one of the mountains 
above till heavy rain came on ; but before seven it poured. We 
came up the river from West Point yesterday in a steamer going 
over to Albany. I was surprised to find the distance fifty miles — 
charming scenery all the way : in some places the Hudson is as 
wide as Windermere Lake, and I could have believed myself there ; 
and sometimes this river may be compared to the Rhine ; but it 
more frequently resembles a chain of Lakes. There is a good car- 
riage road all the way to this place; though the ascent is .very steep, 
we mounted it in four-horse coaches. I walked with some acquaint- 
ances the last three miles, and came through the scene of Rip van 
Winkle's adventures. How the materials for building this great 
Palace of the Hills were ever dragged up, I cannot imagine. It was 
a noble thought to plant it here, where thousands, if not millions, of 
human beings will, in the course of time, find enjoyment, and may 
regain that health and those spirits which have perhaps been lost in 
the turmoil below. Fresh cool air may always be found here, I am 



CUATSKILL WATERFALL. 363 

told, even during the hottest summer; and one feels as if beyond, 
as well as above, sublunary things. There is no church within reach » 
but being Sunday niorning, service was read by a minister in the 
house. 

After dinner, I walked with some friends to see the highest 
waterfall I ever heard of, called ' Cuatskill,' which is, I suppose, the 
same as Catskill. The word 'skill' or 'gill' originates in a Dutch 
name ; and Clove (as they here call a pass beyond) I have Httle 
doubt, has its origin in ' Kloof.' The ' Cuatskill ' pours down its 
stream two hundred feet into a deep rocky dell. It is a much 
higher fall than the Staubach, in Switzerland, and the surrounding 
scenery is as picturesque, though without the high Swiss mountains. 
The water makes another leap of eighty feet a little farther on. 

Monday morning, I again went out before sunrise, and again no 
sun was visible. At six o'clock, the clergyman, Mr. W , ac- 
companied me to see fine masses of conglomerate rock upon the 
Southern Mountain beyond our hotel, and at seven we took our de- 
parture through a deep pass, resembling some of those in our High- 
lands of Scotland. By a circuitous route, the plain below our hotel 
was reached, and the house was seen upon the edge of the precipice 
above us. A ferry-boat made its passage from the small town of 
Catskill across the North River, to meet the cars from Albany, which 
conveyed our party to New York. 

August 28. — I attended the Educational Convention, where an 
excellent farewell address was delivered by Bache, the retiring Pre- 
sident. He dwelt forcibly upon the great existing necessity for uni- 
versities — not mere buildings of stone, or schools for youth — but as- 
semblages of learned men — cosmopolitan institutions ; places where 
men not leaaned may become so ; places where real talent may be 
fostered, and where scientific information can be found by all who 
earnestly and diligently seek it, — centres from which all knowledge, 
theological, mathematical, historical, scientific, &c. (fee, may radiate 
to the remotest corners of this vast country, and imbue the hearts 
and minds of the great American people with something which shall 
direct and balance the influence of the almighty dollar. The Bishop 



364 EDUCATIONAL CONVENTION. 

of Pennsylvania joined the evening exercise, when a paper was read 
by Professor Tappan, of Michigan, on the 'Relation of common 
Schools and Colleges.' 

Wednesday, August 29. — An excellent lecture was given by the 
Rev. E. B. Huntingdon, principal of the public school, Stamford, 
Connecticut, on ' Mental and Physical Activity.' In the evening the 
Rev. F. B. Huntingdon, Professor of Moral Philcsophy at Cam- 
bridge University, made a most original and striking address on 
' Unconscious Tuition ; ' fine in language, attractive in delivery, and 
very practical in matter, although permeated throughout by poetical 
feeling. He touched even upon the ill effects of the want of refined 
habits, and the absence of gentlemanly bearing, in those who in- 
struct, and forcibly pointed out how ugly tricks and coarse manners 
corrupt and debase the young placed under their influence. He 
said — ' The teacher who sits in his chair with feet placed higher 
than his head, who munches apples and nuts like a monkey, and 
even sends forth American saliva — like a member of Congress ! in 
all these acts is unconsciously losing the respect of his pupils, and 
exercising an evil influence over their character.' How true it is, 
that the most eloquent and accomplished orator has little permanent 
influence when we feel, perhaps without being able to explain, the 
efiects of a screw loose in his moral character ; perhaps there is self- 
ishness, an absence of honesty, a seeking for applause, a something 
we know not what — we have never been told ; but unconsciously, 
while we admire the talents of the orator, we refuse him our sym- 
pathy. Unconsciously his character tells upon our minds — he is no 
thorough man, and we feel it. 

Thursday, August 30. — After attending the Educational Meet- 
ing in the morning, I spent the rest of the day with a party of 
friends on Staten Island. It reminds mQ of the Isle of Wight, but 
New York and North River, with their innumerable bays and creeks 
and islands, form a more varied and beautiful scene than the South- 
ampton River, and the coast of Hampshire. It requires half an hour 
to cross over by steam ; the island itself is picturesque, and well- 
wooded : there is a particularly pretty view from a villa belonging 



EAST RIVER. 365 

to Mr. Cunard. Staaten is sixteen miles in length. I have at last 
found, in one of the State reports from Texas, some mention of 
' horned frogs ' [Pkrfjsonemas), there are two or three species to be 
found in Texas and Mexico ; mine was Phrysonema cornuta. The 
Phrysonemas are true saurians ; their bodies, instead of being smooth 
like frogs and toads, are covered with scales ; they never hop or 
leap as batrachians, but run very fast like spiders. Their upper 
spines are as large as miniature horns of a gazelle. (I saw at Pro- 
vidence a little stuffed deer from Japan, not much larger than a 
kitten, and with horns hardly more considerable than those of a 
Phrysonoma.) They are singular creatures, and give one the idea 
of being stragglers left behind by one of the extinct races ; the sur- 
face of their bodies is covered with scales, and there is a double ab- 
dominal row, quite prickly. 

August 31. — The Canada has brought favourable news from 
England, which I am inclined to believe will be received with satis- 
faction by the best minds in the United States, for Russo tendencies 
lie merely on the surface. Some of my friends went away early, 
and I only attended the Convention to hear Professor Barnard, of 
the Mississippi University, upon the improvements that may be in- 
troduced into American colleges. 

During my stay in New York, I have taken one trip of fifty 
miles down what is called the East River. It is rather a narrow arm 
of the sea, extending above a hundred miles, forming Long Island : 
it passes with a rapid current through the narrow passage called 
Hellgate, where once an English ship was wrecked. The river is 
there divided by Randall Island, which I last year visited with 
Governor Seymour to see all the penitentiaries and charitable insti- 
tutions. 

Septemher ^rd. — I spent some time in the Acton Library, where 
I looked over some of Agassiz' publications, and the beautiful Zoo- 
logical work of Dana. In the evening a friend took me to see 
Rachel's first American appearance as Camille. Seventeen years 
ago, I witnessed her London debut in the same character. I think 
her experience, and a longer cultivation of art, do not improve upon 



360 AMERICAN CRYSTAL PALACE. 

the first and natural expression of genius. She is more cultivated, 
but she cannot touch the" heart now as she touched the hearts in the 
year 1838. She was well received by a crowded house, and the 
little Comklie of Les Droits de V Homme by Premanoy, was well 
acted ; three sisters of Eachel's performing all the female characters. 
September 4th. — I ^dsited the remains of the American Crystal 
Palace to see part of a Californian mammoth tree (Red-wood), 
described by Mr. Blake at Providence. The grandeur and singular- 
ity of this trunk surpassed my expectations, the trees must appear as 
much larger than cedars, as cedars exceed hawthorns in size. Some 
articles still remain in this Crystal Palace, which is now the property 
of Barnum ; the building itself, though so much smaller than Paxton's, 
is less simple in ornament, and loses in effect from being too elaborate. 
I intend to proceed to-morrow in tlie direction of Lake George and 
Ticonderoga : in that neighbourhood I am to be joined by Governor 
Seymour, who promises to guide me through part of the Adirondack 
that Highland district of New York State, still a wild forest, although 
it is as extensive as the whole State of Massachusetts. It is princi- 
pally frequented by sportsmen for the sake of the game and fish, which 
have been as yet but little disturbed. When we were at Ogdens- 
burgh we almost touched that territory, which is partly bounded 
by the St. Lawrence. The streets of New York are much shaded 
in some places by Ailanthus glandulosa, and as most of them are 
now flowering, or producing their key-like tassels, they look very pret- 
ty. I have not detected the disagreeable odour which they are ac- 
cused of emitting, nor have I heard of any poisonous influence from 
them, but perhaps something of that kind may be discovered later 
in the season. This letter shall be sent from here by post now ; 
perhaps the beauties of Lake George may induce me to begin 
another. 

Yours affectionately, 

A. M. M. 



LETTEE XXIX. 



Saratoga, KT., ) 
September 5, 1855. j 

My Dear Friends, — 

I did not imagine that my next letter would date from this 
place, but imperative circumstances determined that it should be so. 
We left New York by six o'clock this morning, under the supposition 
that we were to reach Lake George before night ; but though we were 
at Troy at eleven, all calculation was thrown out by information that 
no train could take us on till six ; we were not told that by going 
back to Albany, another line might forward us sooner ; this one had 
been impeded by an incendiary, who had fired a railroad -bridge, 
about twenty miles from this place. Having once before visited 
Troy and made acquaintances there, I walked into the town. All the 
families I knew were still away on summer tours, a custom nearly 
imiversal here in cities ; people having usually no country places, take 
to the country at large. However, I was so fortunate as to find some 
friends accidentally at Troy, who afforded me shelter, a warm bath, 
and some dinner, and kindly walked back with me to the station, 
at the hour <^f departure. Precisely at six, the train left Troy, but 
the one hour (usually time enough for reaching Saratoga) was length- 
ened into three ; for at the river, which was to be crossed, passengers, 
luggage, and all, had to be transferred into a large ferry-boat ; and 
it was necessary to carry weighty boxes up the steep bank of our 



368 SARATOGA, 

railway track on the opposite side — a slow process. So we had two 
hours of travel after dark ; and I at once determined to sleep at the 
United States' Hotel, at Saratoga. Spiteful mischief is too often 
perpetrated on the railroad tracks. Last year a train of cars, upon 
which I went in the night from Niagara to Canandaigua, was thrown 
oflf by the abstraction of a few feet of rail ; and the other day several 
lives were sacrificed by the same thing having been done. I have 
heard lately of two other bridges having been intentionally set on 
fire ; and these fiendish acts are rarely followed by detection. What 
can be too bad for wretches who thus unmercifully destroy unofiend- 
ing people, out of some feeling of individual spite ? But we may be 
sure that fear and remorse will ultimately persecute and haunt such 
men, until they yearn to end their miserable lives by that rope they 
may for the present escape. 

Saratoga, Tuesday Morning. — It is as well that I have been 
obliged to stop at this place, so much spoken of, though watering- 
places afibrd small attraction to me. Upon getting up this morn- 
ing, however, I can see nothing from windows looking in two direc- 
tions, but one maple-tree imprisoned in a small court ; and young 
maples, set as thick as pines, edging angular walks, and dotting 
some green and well-shaven turf, in a square enclosed on three sides 
by this hotel. The air feels cold and October-like. I think ther- 
mometers range more widely and vary more suddenly than in Eng- 
land : one very cold day succeeds an intensely hot one ; and then, 
perhaps, we have two hot days again ; and the nights are usually 
cold at this time of year ; sometimes even frosty. I already see a 
brilliant colouring of foliage, which shows the leaves have been 
touched by frost. 

Lake George, September 6. — I left Saratoga by the early train : 
one hour's morning walk being enough to give me some idea of a 
place which is a ruralized Baden-Baden, or Homburg, or Schwal- 
bad, or any other had — I daresay a j^leasant resort for people who 
seek only fresh air and disagreeable water, and numberless acquaint- 
ances. It resefnbles German baths, with rather less gambling, more 
dancing, and more dressing ; and I was delighted to get away from 



LAKE GEORGE. 3G9 

such annoyances, to this cliarming lake, and to find myself in an 
hotel quite homelike. A coach brought us the last fourteen miles ; 
we came by Glenn's Falls, where the water rushes finely, in spite of 
lumber and saw-mills, down a descent of seventy or eighty feet ; then 
we passed a place called ' Bloody Pond,' the battle of Lake George 
having been fought near, in 1755. You may remember, this en- 
gagement was between Sir W. Johnson, aided by Hendrick, the 
Mohawk chief, and the French general Dieskau, with his Canadian 
Indians. Now we are among the very scenes depicted in The Last 
of the Mohicans. Cooper calls this lovely lake, Horican (Transpa- 
rent Water) ; I believe he confessed it was a supposititious Indian 
name ; but I cannot find out any other given to it by the Aborigines, 
The French appellation was St. Sacrament ; that of the English, Lake 
George ; and both historical and local associations now confirm it. 

I am at an original hotel, called the Lake House ; much pleas- 
anter and less starino- than a new place, built in a beautiful situation 
at the southern end, ' The William Henry Hotel.' Here I do not 
feel as if I was at a place of public resort, thotigh the house contains 
a large number of guests. It has easy access to the water from a 
lawn, for bathing, fishing, or boating, and bowling and billiards may 
be enjoyed by those who wish for thera. I find pleasant families 
here who do not make gay attire and good dinners the first objects 
of life. Horican (Transparent Water), that was a characteristic 
name ! Lake George unites the beauties of Loch Lomond, Winder- 
mere, and Wenham ' Pond ; ' and is as beautiful as any lake I know, 
excepting that its mountains, though fine, are not so rugged as some 
of our Highlands. It is wide enough, without the shores being too 
distant from each other ; the water has, in many places, a depth of 
one hundred and twenty feet. It empties itself into Lake Cham- 
plain, near Ticonderoga ; so called from Checonderoga, an Iroquois 
word, signifying ' sounding waters,' on account of the noise made by 
the water rushing from Lake George. The Last of the Mohicans 
has made this neighbourhood doubly interesting. Yesterday we 
had a gay and touching celebratian of the hundredth anniversary of 
the victory gained by the British and Americans over the French, in 
17 



370 TICONDEROGA. 

September, IVSS. My own maternal grandfather led his Highland 
regiment during the conflict of those days ; and this commemoration 
was one which enlisted my sympathies. Gentlemen and ladies walked 
in two separate j^rocessions to the church, where, after a short prayer 
Dr. VanRenssalaer gave a detailed historical account of the events of 
1755, and the years succeeding. After firing oS cannon, there was 
a beautiful array of boats, decorated with flags ; most of them had 
only one lady in the stern; mine carried the English ensign. Mrs. 
Potter had the Scotch thistle. English and French flags waved in 
union on this occasion, and the band played God save the Queen, 
with other airs. There were about twenty-four boats marshalled in 
line upon the lake, or sweeping along in succession, at the command 
of a Commodore. The scene was very gay upon the beautiful wa- 
ters ; and, when night came on, the darkness was illuminated by a 
liberal display of rockets and Roman caudles. A subscription was 
proposed for raising a monument on the old battle-field to the heroes 
who fell there, particularly to the gallant Indian chief, Hendrick ; 
and I hope the object will be accomplished. 

Septemhei' 10. — I went with a party in a steamer thirty miles 
up the lake to Ticonderoga, which is a small town on the Lake 
George side of the fort. There are still ditches and fortifications 
which mark the battle-field. Sixteen hundred British were killed in 
that engagement.^"^ The fort is situated on a peninsula, which runs 
into Lake Champlain : it is a beautiful site, commanded by a moun- 
tain which has been named Defiance. The rest of our party went 
to dine at an hotel near, but I remained for two or three hours, 
sketching and wandering about the fortifications, w^hich are very 
extensive. This is the only interesting ruin I have seen in America. 

Septemher 12. — Yesterday, in my way here, I stopped for an 
hour or two at the hotel to wait for a steamer. The landlord took so 
great an interest in a sketch of the fort, whicli I made from a window 
in his house, that he would not hear of my paying either for my own 

* The French entangled them among the branches of felled trees, so 
tliat their forces were scattered and destroyed. 



GIPSY EXPEDITION. 37l 

dinner or R 's; the only repayment he would accept was a hasty 

copy of my drawing. 

At Westport I was fortunate in finding Mr, H. L , who 

drove me up to see his pretty cottage, situated upon a rock which 
commands a splendid view. While I was absent this morning, 
Governor Seymour arrived with his niece, and he has gone on to 
Elizabeth Town, to make necessary arrangements for our camping 
out of town in the Adirondack. We are to join him at an early 
hour to-morrow morning. Weather promises to be favourable, and 
the black fly has vanished, so that we have every prospect of en- 
joying our gipsy expedition. 

September 12. — We started before six o'clock, and joined Mr. 
Seymour at Elizabeth Town. We met Professor Baird, who is stay- 
ing there, and Mr. H , one of our compagnons cle voyage. We 

set off after making backwood arrangements, and selecting kettles 
and pans. Tea, biscuits, lemons, portable soup, and arrow-root went 
into small space ; these, Avith trout and venison, will feed us nobly 
for a week. Branches of the hemlock spruce with waterproof cover- 
ings, duvets, blankets, and air-cushions will form our couches ; and our 
Governor carries a tent in case of wet w^eather. We reached the 
Saranac Lake about an hour after dark, conveyed by buck -boards 
and wagons — much too civilized a mode of proceeding ; but we go 
on in boats or on foot, and hope to travel more than a hundred miles 
with packs on our backs and staffs in our hands — this will be de- 
lightful ! On our way yesterday, we passed through fine passes and 
grand mountains. I made one sketch in which Tahawas, ' the cloud 
splitter,' was included. We thought ourselves unhappy at sleeping 
in the little Saranac hotel last night, though it \vas three in a room, 
constructed of rough boards and laths ; still this will be the last time 
for some days we shall have any other canopy than heaven, and 
the small tent which is to be carried with us. Our drive from 
Elizabeth Town to this place was about thirty-two miles ; the road 
rough, but practicable by walking up the steepest parts. In our 
way we picked a variety of wild fruits, blackberries, huckleberries, 
cherries, and above all, a little red plum, which, though rather hard 



372 SARANAC LAKE. 

and acid, I thought would make a good pudding at our first camp 
in the woods ; so I got enough for that purpose. It was quite dark 
for an hour before we reached Baker's — the name by which this last 
house of reception on the Saranac River is known. We had no 
other difiiculty, however, than making oar way once nearly into a 
shed, instead of following the road, and after backing out, our pro- 
posed resting-place was soon reached. 

While the party were packing up, I parted with R , and 

sent her back in the carriage to embark again in the steamboat to 
Westport. She will go round by Utica to Canandaigua, to give Mrs. 
Seymour a report of us so far ; and I shall pick her up again at the 
latter place, where she will remain with our hospitable friends, Mr. 

and Mrs. G . Miss M and Mr. S walked on a mile 

or two to the lake side, and left Mr. H and one guide to ac- 
company me, after I had made a sketch of the place and surround- 
ing mountains from a hill above. On the edge of Saranac Lake we 
found a small house, three boats, and various articles prepared for 
forest expeditions. One boat was set apart for two dogs, guns, and 
baggage, taken care of by Jamie M'Cleland, who had enough of 
Scotch recollections to induce him to look with a pleased expression 
at one of my name. 

Mr. Moody, the head guide, rowed the boat, in which I had a 
comfortable seat of cloaks and cushions, with the Governor. Miss 

M. , his niece, and Mr. H , were conducted by a fine youth 

of nineteen, who goes by the name of ' Prince Albert,' and it is be- 
lieved he was so christened at two years old, though he looked shy 
and annoyed when asked about it, and said he believed it was 
' Pliny Albert.' The weather was perfect, as we rowed along the 
beautiful Saranac Lake. For the first time I saw the Loon, and 
heard it utter its wild cry, more resembling a mocking laugh than 
anything else. I could have fancied it saying, ' You intruders, you 
— you will have enough of this before you have done.' A fine 
ea^le next soared over our heads, and ravens also. 

We floated on water as smooth as glass, passing by lovely islands 
and fine rocks, until we came to the first rapid, an inlet into the 



OUR FIRST ENCAMPMENT. 373 

next lake, where we disembarked, that the men might carry andpnsh 
through their boats. I sketched during this operation, while Mr. 

S mended the slight terminal pole of his fishing-rod, which an 

accident had broken ; then we pi'oceeded to a small ' round lake,' pret- 
tily set among the mountains, but very shallow, the rushes and Lily- 
pods growing plentifully over it. Now we had a portage. Each 
man carried a boat on his head, and we loaded ourselves with as 

much as we could carr}-. M and I filled my Scotch plaid with 

baskets and bundles, and we bore it between us. The distance was 
short, but it was above an hour before we were again afloat in the 
Upper Saranac, at the end of which our first encampment w^as to be 
made. Upon landing, w^e chose a pretty spot ; the guides hastily 
built up a great log fire. I gathered up some brush and fir-cones to 
help the blaze, and we broke off small branches (or ' feathers ' ) of 
the hemlock spruce, which makes the sweetest and best foundation 
for an Alpine couch in this country — sweeter than, if not so pretty 
as our heather. Over this the Governor spread a thin oilskin. My 
air-cushions were most valuable ; we puff'ed them up, and with these, 
ray leather bag as a bolster, large plaids and felt coverings, and Mary 
M 's black and scarlet shawl as a curtain of division, we, two la- 
dies, and two gentlemen, slept soundly, after making a hearty sup- 
per off trout and potatoes. I had provided a dozen lemons, aware 
that w^hen no milk can be had, the juice is an excellent addition to 
tea, and this plan was unanimously approved. To our guides the 
idea was quite new ; and, as all forest fare is common pot-luck, they 
were quite pleased. 'It isn't bad,' — ' Right fine, I'll assure you ;' 
but the first sentence iraphes almost as high praise as ' It won't 
hurt you ; ' and that is the acme. I concocted my pudding with the 
wild-plums, deprived of their stones, biscuit, brown sugar, a little 
butter, and some water ; but, as some hours' stewing was necessary, 
this dish was not produced before our breakfast. One of the boats 
was turned upside down for a table ; our candlestick, a large potato 
placed upon a tin pail inverted. The guides bivouacked close around 
the little tent. About half-past two o'clock, according to a common 
habit in the forests, we all roused up for half-an-hour, replenished the 



374 GOOD FISHING. 

fire, and I removed my stew to a little fire of its own, that it might 
not get quite stewed away before morning. We then again com- 
posed ourselves to sleep again, and had comfortable naps till day- 
light. During the night I h^ard a horrible noise once or twice, and, 
imagining it might be the howl of a wolf, I called to Moody, who 
assured me it was nothing but a screech-owd. At five o'clock began 
preparations for breakfast — frying pork, boiling trout and potatoes, 
and w^ater for the kettle of tea ; at last, trout were broiled in the 
same pan with the pork gravy, an excellent disli. We two ladies 
went down to the lake to make our toilet, and balanced ourselves in 
one of tlie empty boats, to use tooth-brushes, &c. While the rest of 
the party were packing up, and preparing to undertake the portage 
to Story Creek, I made a sketch before the tent was struck, and 
caught one of the men in the act of carrying tlie boat, with his head 
concealed underneath, like some nondescript shell-fish. 

Before w^e started, the gentlemen hung a small mirror of M 's 

on a tree, and very composedly shaved themselves. The guides 
took the boats upon their heads, and after two returns they trans- 
ported all the baggage the rest of the party could not carry through 
two miles of difficult portage. Then we reached the Otter's Creek 
and Raquette River, where at last, at the junction of the streams, 
tbere was such good fishing^-^hat a long pause ensued. The trout 
were large and plentiful. The Governor caught several, weighing 

from two to three pounds. Mr. II lost two of his best ; one 

owing to his young boatman, and the other owing to his own hurry 
in pulling up his prize. I landed to sketch the scenery, and was so 
much absorbed as to leave my parasol in a bush. We rowed back 
half a mile for its recovery ; however, Mr. ]\Ioody took this trouble 

without a murmur, and Mr. S having extremely enjoyed his 

sport, I believe he was rather pleased to take another look at that 
pleasant locality. We did not again join the other boats until our 
arrival at the next rapids, where w^e were obliged to resign ourselves 
to another tedious portage ; but the row down Raquette River had 
been delightful — it flows through a deep forest of maples, pines, and 
tamarisks; the crimson tints of autumn blending with dark and 



DEER HUNTING. 375 

orange foliage, tiny seedling red maples dotting the rocks and the 
bogs ; the cantinal flower-blue gentian, and lilac asters occasionally 
showing themselves ; but through this whole region, the autumnal 
flora has not a great deal of variety. I gathered some berries of a 
Rhamnus, saw" very large leaved willows and species of Varcineum 
(one veiy good indeed) ; the scarlet berries of Cannas Canadena 
everywhere enlivened the forest ; and there were also the white Par- 
tridge berry, bright trillium seeds, and the large and small winter- 
green, gautheria shallor procumbens. 

I^Tow and then the starry flowers of Houstonias lingered on the 
ground, and raspberries and low blackberries refreshed us on our 
way — these, with the exception of white and yellow Nymphaes, called 
by the people ' Lily pods,' w^ere all I saw of flowers or seeds. Deer 
feed much on these lily pods early in the season, and as they come 
down to the rivers and lakes in search of their tender shoots, they 
fall an easy prey at that period; but now they feed upon higher 
ground, so dogs are sent oflf who hunt out a single one, and chase 
him down to any part of the lakes, where they are loosed ; there 
they keep him in the water, and by their baying call their masters 
to finish the chase. Our gentlemen were not successful in shooting 
any, because, owing to the long distance we had to travel through 
this wilderness (about one hundred and fifty miles), the mornings 
could not be spared for hunting ; and although two attempts were 
made by despatching the hounds in the afternoon, they did not bring 
their game back until too dark for even the accustomed to get a shot. 
Maple and birch are considered the best wood with which to build a 
fire: the common distinguishing phrase is 'hard and soft wood.' 
Hard is applied to deciduous trees, soft to the pines and evergreens. 
' How finely the soft and hard trees are mixed on that mountain,' 
said one of our party. 

Upon landing below the Raquette Falls, we had a mile and a 
half of diflScult portage : the signs of a trail were at times hardly 
\dsible ; gigantic timber felled by storms, or by time, crossed the 
obscure path, sometimes every twenty yards ; deep bogs, and slip- 
pery rocks impeded it, and we had often to retrace our steps, or seek 



376 OUR TOILET. 

a blazed tree before ^ve could find our way ; each individual of the 
party straggled on as lie or she could, with their load. When Mr. 

S had conveyed his to the edge of the river above the Falls, he 

kindly returned to relieve me of whatever basket or bundle I had 
been able to carry ; and so we all at last reached our intended 
camping place, a beautiful spot. Our tent was soon pitched, a bright 
fire in front of it was lit, just at the edge of the water, and another 
blaze, for cooking, made near to our boat-table. The largest trout 
was boiled, the smaller ones broiled, with excellent potatoes, for our 
supper; tea-lemonade our beverage. As an awakening amusement 
for an hour afterwards, we played a game of whist, with a not very 
white pack of cards, procured from one of the guides; and then 
after arranging our couch as before, we slept very soundly till after 
one o'clock, when the fires were made up, and then we slept till 
again morning ; not a sound disturbed the forest, except that of the 
rippling waters at our feet ; but when we awoke at six, a gentle rain 
pattered upon the surrounding trees. However, it was no more 
than ' the pride of the morning,' just enough to make us more sen- 
sible of the blessing of fine weather. M. M selected a sheltered 

rocky nook, a little way back for our dressing-room ; there we bathed, 
and adjusted our toilet with brushes, combs, tooth-brushes, a luxury 
of towels, and even a tiny mirror hung upon the lowest branch of a 
fine hemlock spruce ; this smartening up of the individual woman 
marked our Sunday morning, for no Sabbath-day's rest can be set 
apart for travellers in the Bush, who must get to their journey's end 
by a certain day, or go without the common necessaries of existence. 
We came forth again arrayed in cleanliness : its opposite is at times 
picturesque, but certainly not comfortable. On the whole, I was 
impressed by the tidy habits of our three guides ; they omitted no 
opportunity for using the fresh pure water to wash away impurities, 
either on their hands or upon our culinary matters, and never left 
cup or platter in a soiled state, if they could help it. 

Before our starting, the Governor rowed me over to the opposite 
shore for a sketch of our resting-place. A few miles further up the 
Raquette River some of our party saw the track of a wolf, and we 



LONG LAKE. Sl1 

heard the partridge drum : this noise is caused by the wing of that 
bird, which in plumage is hke ours, but in size it comes nearer to 
our pheasant. Wild-ducks appeared numerous, but they kept at a 
distance. Now again w-e got sight of distant mountains ; of late, 
the forests and swamps have been low and flat. The approach to 
Long Lake is so thickly covered with lilypods, rushes, and other 
water-plants, that it seemed as if we were making our way across 
watery meadows. When we reached the lake itself, the wind blew 
freshly, and our boatmen had to row eighteen miles against it and 
the wavelets which arose. Occasional settlements dot the shores : a 
boy of ten years old paddled his little boat towards us, and when 
we asked him if many people lived there, he answered, ' There is 
the baby, and a few more.' Evidently, that baby w^as the individual 
of most importance. We again saw wild-ducks, an eagle, a gull, 
and a loon ; and at one spot (a rare sight in this wilderness) two 
small wagons were waiting to be transported across the lake. 

A Mr. and Mrs. Carey, with a family of young children, possess- 
ing cows and horses, and a house in the background, lived just 
behind the rocky knoll where we decided upon forming our encamp- 
ment — under some tall pine trees : they supplied us with excellent 
milk and bread and butter, an unaccustomed luxur}', and also with 
some straw for our beds. Mrs. Carey, a pleasing young woman, 
visited us with a present of blackberries after supper. The ' Owl's 
Head' was a prominent mountain beyond, and a young crescent 
moon arose not far above it. In the morning we had some fine rain ; 
but with the aid of my large umbrella, I did not miss a sketch of 
our camp : and the palmetto fly-flapper I had brought all the way 
from Mobile proved of great use in frightening away mosquitoes. 
Alas ! I afterwards lost it during one of the portages. Here it was 
decided to leave one boat. Mr. Carey was to convey the chief guide 
with a second one in a wagon, a cross-cut through the woods ; and 
we all packed into the remaining boat, as there was some probable 
difiiculty in getting through rapids and portages. The guns and 
dogs having both been conveyed to the land carriage, whole flights 
of ducks passed fearlessly within shot, as if they had by some means 
17* 



3*78 A VARIETY OF FUNGUSES. 

become aware of their security. After two or three portages, fatigu- 
ing and difficult enough, the men determined to attempt pushing 
the boat through the last rapid. Now touching one rock, now fast 
upon another, the water rushing by, I did not think the adventure a 
pleasant one ; at last we came to a dead lock. Jamie M'Cleland 

proposed that Governor Seymour and Mr. H should jump upon 

a rock, water-surrounded as it was, and by so lightening the boat, 
we w ere with difficulty floated up to a landing : here we quickly 
heard Moody's whoop, and he came up with a partridge he had 
killed during his progress by land : and soon the whole party was 
again mustered, for our gentlemen had waded on shore from their 
rock and thus rejoined us. This day w^e saw the track of a moose- 
deer on the edge of a stream ; plenty of tracks and signs of smaller 
deer : one or two solitary cranes, and a bald-headed eagle. It was 
muddy walking ; we were thoroughly bespattered, but Jamie endea- 
voured to console us by the assurance that he had ' seen women 
looking much worse.' 

In these forests, the variety of funguses is beyond description ; 
some, just like beautiful white coral. Many were in form and sub- 
stance quite different from any drawings or models I have seen ; the 
colours scarlet, orange, pink, pure white, black, drab, and rose ; and 
bunches of that odd monotrope, the Indian pipe, constantly fringed 
our path. It seems to me that there is something nourishing in the 
air of these Alpine forests : I never felt very hungry, although our 
meals were far apart, and usually very light in substance. As we 
rowed dow^n the Raquette Lake, I observed a yellow sunset, with 
heaped-up clouds to the south, and a suspicion crossed my mind 
that stormy weather w^as brewing. At a rough clearing, our guides 
pulled up. A shanty belonging to a Mr. Beech was not a great 
way off, and, oddly enough, there w^as another clearing on the oppo- 
site shore of the lake, owned by a Mr. Wood. 

Our tent was pitched on a cleared spot, near where a famous 
eagle once had his eyrie upon a tall pine ; both pine and eagle are 
gone — the latter died, and the former was blown down. Some dried 
venison was procured, and a neighbour provided milk. We com- 



A STORMY NIGHT. 879 

posed ourselves to rest, and slept till midnight; then growling 
thunder, vivid lightning, and pouring rain disturbed our slumbers. 
A wet morning followed, and any intention of striking our tent was 
abandoned. It was a violent storm — probably an equinoctial gale. 
"We had only to be patient and enduring, with the conviction that 
* Time and the hour runs through the roughest day.' 

In the afternoon the weather cleared, and we went by the lake 
to visit Mr. and Mrs. Beech, while the gentlemen and the guides 
went off hunting. But their dogs did not immediately find, and 
again, it was too dark to shoot a deer which was hunted down to the 
water. The ladies returned to our tent, and as I had a reserved 
provision of arrowroot, I determined to make a large kettleful, 
flavoured with lemons and molasses, adding to it a portion of 
Malaga, and putting in biscuits. This made a comforting warm mess 
for the cold and tired hunters upon their return. 

After the violent rain of last night and to-day, we found our 
hemlock spruce beds rather damp, although the guides had turned 
the tent so as to face a large fire, and accommodate it to a change 
of wind. In spite of all the w^et, how^ever, no colds were caught, 
and early on the 20th of September we embarked again on the lake 
in high spirits. The guides had stowed themselves under one of the 
boats during the night, w^hich perhaps sheltered them even more 
completely than our tent did us. 

During this last pause in our wanderings, we could not help 
being struck by the wild, careless, picturesque appearance inside 
that tent. Seated upon the floor, where we were taking our meals, 
with pans of tea, and plates of tin, air-cushions, and variously col- 
oured plaids and felts scattered around ; sketch-books and presses, 
books and maps; a large tin case, containing our store of grocery, a 
huge basket full of biscuits, a hammer ensconced among bunches of 
berries ; tallow candles, under protection from the damp, towels, hats^ 
bonnets, and other articles of attire impartially scattered ; accidental- 
ly bestowed touches of scarlet and blue upon the interior, lit up as 
it -was by the warm glow of a blazing wood fire — this would have 
formed a picture for Gerard Dow, 



380 THE EIGHT LAKES. 

I forgot to say we ate Mr. Moody's partridge for beakfast, and 
it proved excellent. I did not omit to sketch this encampment be- 
fore we left it. As we rowed up the Raquette Lake, a slight snow- 
storm overtook us, but it was soon over. Even during that early 
morning, with its fog and snow, the lake was beautiful, with numer- 
ous bays and islands, and blue mountains rising in the distance. We 
passed through a narrow channel for some way, then disembarked 
for a portage to the eighth lake of the Eckford chain ; for eight lakes 
of differing magnitude are strung upon the Moose River, and we 
were to pass through all. We nov/ found a sandy beach which be- 
fore had been rocky. The cheerful little crossbill hopped fearlessly 
around us, and wild-ducks flew away. After rowing across the 
eighth, another portage brought us to the seventh lake. There was 
some difficulty in pushing the boats over a sandy bar at its entrance 
from the narrow stream we had just traversed. The seventh lake 
is quite encircled by hills. We 'observed a tempting rocky promon- 
tory, and as the sun was getting low, we decided upon landing upon 
a pretty sheltered beach behind it. 

Our tent was pitched behind a gigantic fallen tree, against 
which the fire was made : it served as a convenient table for our cook- 
ing operations, as well as a good back for the blaze. I made a can 
of excellent portable soup, a provision we had before tried with suc- 
cess ; but now I added a little arrowrcot, an onion, potatoes, two or 
three spoonsful of sw^eet w^ine, and several biscuits. It was generally 
agreed that this mixture ' would not hurt anybody ; ' indeed it 
might anywhere have been considered an excellent soup. 

I found a quarter of a pound of portable soup, or a quarter of a 
pound of arrowroot necessary to make the quantity sufficient for 
seven hungry bodies. Although I brought these things with me 
from England more than a year ago, they were in good preservation ; 
and I recommend London portable soup to all travellers in the Bush, 
and advise them also to add lemons and a good store of sugar, brown 
and white, to their other preparations. We had a bright moon this 
evening. Some hunters and fishers were upon the lake, and from the 
latter our people procured trout, and all enjoyed this camp particular- 



MODERN MIRANDAS. 381 

ly, even though no deer were attained. We had a misty morning, 
but the mountain tops soon peered out. We again embarked, and 
passed from one lake into others, sometimes by such narrow outlets 
that there was a difficulty in finding them, until at the last our boatmen 
rowed twice a considerable distance before a swampy-looking egress 
was discovered : this led us into a pretty winding creek, and another 
short portage brought us below the falls of the Moose River into its 
rapid stream. Here we had only one boat. The Governor (for our 
other gentlemen had been obliged to leave us before we entered the 
chain of lakes) walked on to make some arrangements at Arnold's 
Farm, and we two ladies, in charge of Mr. Moody and M'Cleland, 
had a plesant row, seeing many canvas-back ducks before us in the 
river. The former shot one, which I have no doubt would have 
been very good for dinner, but we never had any time or opportuni- 
ty for trying the experiment. Mr. Seymour remained to make 
arrangements with the guides while his niece and I walked on to 
Arnold's Farm. There we found Mrs. Arnold and six dauo-hters 
These girls, aged from twelve to twenty, were placed in a row 
against one wall of the shanty, with looks so expressive of astonish- 
ment, that I felt puzzled to account for their manner, till their 
mother informed us they had never before seen any other woman 
than herself ! I could not elicit a word from them ; but, at last, 
when I begged for a little milk, the eldest went and brought me a 
glass. I then remembered that we had met a single hunter rowino- 
himself in a skiff on the Moose River, who called out, ' Where on the 
'arth do they women come from ? ' And our after-experience fully 
explained why ladies are rare birds in that locality. At this place 
we expected to find horses, but owing to our twenty-four hours' de- 
tention on Raquette Lake, they had been sent ofi" to bring up some 
gentlemen from Brown's Tract ; pedestrianism was therefore our 
only resource. Jamie M'Cleland came up from the river and ex- 
plained that unless we made some further progress this evenino-, 
we should not be able to get through the forest during daylight to- 
morrow, and delay was of importance, so we decided upon trudging on 
as far as possible. Jamie took the tent on his back, and Mr. Sey- 



382 ' NECESSITY HAS NO LAW.' 

mour and the other guides were to follow as soon as they could 
select positive necessaries from our baggage. Mrs. Arnold was fu- 
rious — she did all but try to detain us by force — declared we could not 
get on, and that she should soon see us back again ; but necessity 
has no law : we felt the importance of determination, and we had 
become too experienced gipsies to fear camping out. For one 
mile we had a pleasant path, then commenced the series of bog-holes 
which, with few and short intervals, were to be scrambled through 
for sixteen miles. The worst was, that as night closed in, we could 
not find a dry spot upon which to pitch our tent. At last we sent 
Jamie on, and he brought us the news that, at a short distance, he 
had found a little knoll above the bogs. 

Dark as it was, we reached this spot without any other mishap 
than an occasional flounder in the mud ; but all the lumber around 
was soaking wet. No fire could be made till our guide had cut 
down a tree — for he had not forgotten his axe ; and his experienced 
arm soon felled a birch of considerable size, cut it in logs about two 
yards long, and so built up a fire, which we assisted in lighting, by 
breaking off dry brush from the surrounding bush. Jamie worked 
hard ; and before Mr. Seymour and the other guides joined us with 
exclamations of astonishment how we had ever got through the 
places which had nearly swamped them, the tent was raised, hem- 
lock branches gathered, and a good fire blazed all ready for cooking- 
operations. The young moon occasionally peeped through the 
foliage above our heads ; but it was too thick for much light to be 
visible. Our only misfortune at that moment was the sufferings of 
poor young Prince Albert, who lay upon the ground agonized and 
quite useless. We gave him what comfort we could ; and I ad- 
ministered camphor, which soothed the pain, and enabled him to 
get asleep. Our head guide told me he knew the value of that sub- 
stance in most cases of slight illness ; and that he seldom went into 
the forest unprovided with some of it. 

Before daylight next morning we again aroused ourselves. 
Fortunately sufficient portable soup and arrowroot was still left to 
make a good warm mess for breakfast ; and this nourishment is so 



DEPARTURE OF THE GUIDES. 383 

lasting, that, with the exception of half a biscuit and some water, 
I got on upon it till we reached our resting place at Bonville, after 
nine in the evening. At this encampment, we parted from our 
three guides, who had conducted themselves excellently well through 
all our difficulties. Jamie, a Canadian, was going back to take his 
young wife, of nineteen (to whom he had been four years married), 
to his father's house, near Montreal. ' An' wont she be glad to see 
me back. I wouldn't change my gal for any gal in the States, or 
in Canada either.' Jamie is a sober, handy fellow. I feel sure he is 
a good husband, as he certainly made a thoughtful, intelligent at- 
tendant on us two women in the Bush. The Governor fell in with 
Mr. Wood, of Raquette Lake, at Arnold's, and engaged him to see 
us safely through the concluding passage of our travels ; but, as the 
only chance of getting assistance to meet us, it w^as necessary to 
send him on. Mr. Seymour must always be considered a brave man, 
for having undertaken alone, to take us that day's walk ; but having 
never passed through this track before, he was happily not fully 
aw^are of w^hat he undertoook, or he confesses he should have been 
afraid. The path we had to follow was a road cut through the forest 
fifty years ago ; planks had been laid down and corduroy bridges 
made ; but, as no settlement followed, left to entire neglect, the rotten 
timbers only made bad worse ; and I imagine that it would be im- 
possible to find anywhere a track so difficult to get over as that 
through which w^e patiently laboured for ten consecutive hours. 
Mr. Seymour's patience and good humour never gave way. 
Putting off the packages on his back he now extricated one com- 
panion, now^ another, from a boggy ' fix.' I nev^er shall forget the 
astonishment of Mr. Stephens, of yacht celebrity, when, on horseback 
with another gentleman and guides, he met us emerging from the 
Bush ! They had four horses ; and our avant-courier, Mr. Wood, 
had secured one of them, upon which I mounted; and, although it 
was not easy to keep my seat upon a man's saddle in getting over 
such ground, I soon found the benefit of being carried on the last 
few miles by some other agency than my own feet. Mr. Seymour 
and his niece walked on ; in one mile more we again reached the 



384 EARLY MEMORIES. 

Moose River, and crossed it in a boat; and another two hours 
brought us to the clearing, where a small wagon was procured — 
rouo-h enouo-h, but still a was^on — which took us to a comfortable 
hotel, at the small town of Bonville, from whence, after a good 
night's rest, we got on by coach and cars to Utica. A singular and 
touching circumstance occurred to me in the coach. An old man 
and a younger one conversed in Welsh. I could not help inquiring 
what part of Wales they came from, for that tongue awoke in my 
heart early memories. The old man knew Caermarthen ; had been 
at Abergwilly, and spoke of my father as ' that charity man.' 
David Owen was quite blind ; but that meeting was pleasant to us 
both. After fifty years to hear one's father's name spoken of with 
respect and affection, in this far distant land ! There are many 
Welsh people settled hereabouts. Owen's home was a small village 
near Trenton Falls. As we passed over a bridge, — 
'Now,' he said, ' we are near my home.' 
' Not being able to see, how do you know that ? ' 
' Ah ! do I not understand the voice of that bridge ? ' And one 
or two miles beyond, the old man and I parted, he shaking me by 
the hand, with his blessing. Three days at Utica were necessary to 
recruit and repose myself. Now I write from Canandaigua, on the 
eve of starting for Chicago and St. Louis. 

Bufolo^ September 27. — We left Canandaigua at ten this morn« 
ing ; but, having reached this place by four, we cannot proceed till 
half-past nine o'clock. By travelling all night, we may arrive at 
Chicago to-morrow evening, and be at St. Louis next day. 

Chicago^ Friday night. — We have travelled four hundred and 
ninety-two miles since ten o'clock last night; very rapidly and 
pleasantly today, only changing cars at Toledo. The previous 
night's journey was a crowded one ; a great number of the men in 
the carriages indulged themselves in the habits of the backwoods, 
which made them very unpleasant neighbours, although their ap- 
pearance was respectable ; and I was glad of a change which gave 
us another set of fellow-travellers. The country between this place 
and Cleveland is in a rapid course of settlement. There is not an 



AMERICAN AND ENGLISH SOLDIERS. 385 

evergreen of any kind to be seen — neither firs, spruce, nor cedars ; 
the forest consists entirely of ' hard ' wood trees, of which there is a 
great variety — chiefly beech, oak, plane, ash, and poplar. 1 did not 
observe much hiccory, or any acacias ; and, as the timber is not on 
the whole of great size, I suppose there is less difficulty in making 
clearings in this district than in some others I have passed through. 
Numerous towns are starting up — as usual, with names not particu- 
larly well selected. 

After Toledo, we passed through Hudson, Hillsdale, Jonesville, 
Coldwater, White Pigeon, &c. &c. On approaching Chicago, the 
country begins to acquire a prairie character; and I saw such large 
fields of grain, and so many signs of improved farming, that but for 
snake-fences, I could have believed myself in some parts of England. 
A rolHng district, dotted by small lakes, prevails about Hillsborough, 
while for a hundred miles this side Lake Erie the forests are flat and 
undiversified. In marshy plains, bilious fevers are common. I was 
told that sleeping in respirators is a certain preventive. I wonder 
whether this has been tried at Norfolk, where there has been of late 
such dreadful pestilence. During our journey here, I heard of the 
fall of Sebastopol — sad, sad carnage. My anxiety to know the names 
of those who have last sacrificed themselves for England and duty 
must, perhaps, remain unappeased for days. Friends and friends 
sons still there to be risked — heroes and Cornelias : they will have 
their reward. 

Daring our mountain expedition I was struck by the one fact 
which gives American armies an advantage in warfare — the practi- 
cal rifle skill which backwoods' sport cultivates. Our guides always 
took off" the head of a squirrel with their guns, to avoid (as they 
said) 'injuring the skin,' so that every American soldier is a good 
marksman, while many of England's brave peasantry, though willing 
and ready to fight, hardly know (upon their first enlistment) how to 
fire off a shot. This morning, I remarked a circumstance which 
has before attracted my observation travelling in railroad cars. Men 
in the garb of gentlemen, and who would be indignant at being 
addressed by any other appellation, were busy helping one another 



386 UNCODRTEOUS MA^;NERS. 

to drams of brandy in the early morning. Quart bottles of spirits 
extracted from carpet-bags is no imcomon sight. This habit is 
rather illustrative of that aristocratic law which denies liberty of 
action to the poor and sick, while it does not trench upon the 
freedom of the rich and luxurious. Have fanatics who advocate 
this law ever considered that the same principle might be applied 
to the ' Tree of the knowledge of good and evil ? ' Would not 
these people have preached to the Saviour upon the impropriety of 
his first miracle, or the dangers of the sacramental wine ? About 
forty miles from Chicago we passed the first prairie town of Joliet. 
Before entering it there is a cutting through a kind of alluvial con- 
glomerate, formed of gravel, sand, and round watei-worn pebbles ; 
and around it there are well cultivated farms, backed by forests ; 
large fields of grain, and numerous herds of cattle. We soon 
traversed a prairie, and saw wide, wide plains covered with grass and 
flowers on every side. It is too late for the great beauty of the 
flowers. Now there are but few in but Asters, Coreopsis, and Soli- 
dagos. After Bloomington where we stopped to dine, nothing could 
be more bleak and dreary than the towns, or rather villages, among 
them Lincoln, Chatham, Girard ; the population squalid and dirty ; 
nothing looking clean but the white painted wooden houses, 
scattered over the black trod-down prairies ; not a fence, not a bush, 
not a garden. These places appear to me much more desolate than 
any forest clearings ; there you can, at any rate, make large fires to 
enliven the scene. Our journey was unpleasant: in the day it 
rained, and every window would have been closed, if I had not kept 
mine open with a parasol before it. At night a rough-looking set 
of men opened every glass wide. Whatever the mornings may be, 
almost all nights in America are cold. A superabundance of air in 
the cars is not often to be complained of; but I have seldom met 
with any consideration for ladies in this particular. In travelling to 
Chicago, when I had a small bit of my own window open, a gentle- 
man three seats off' came and put it down, without any request or 
one word of apology. No room for more in this letter. 

Yours affectionately, 

A. M. M. 



LETTER XXX. 



St. Loitis, MissotTRi, U.S., ) 
Octoher 1, 1S55. J 

My Dear Friends, — 

It was almost twelve o'clock at niglit when the Reindeer 

steamer landed R and me at this place. The river voyage of 

twenty-five miles was a most unexpected termination of our long 
railroad journey from Chicago. It seems this line is just on the 
point of being opened to a terminus at St. Louis,* and meanwhile 
a kind of mystery (very commonly thrown around unfinished rail 
lines) has enveloped the communication between this place and 
Chicago. I was assured of going through, but the manner and the 
means were left unexplained, and it was with some surprise that I 
found myself transferred from an omnibus into a steamboat, instead 
of a hotel. Upon landing, I determined not to invade my proposed 

hosts, Dr. and Mrs. P -, at that time of night ; so after procuring 

a carriage, we drove to the Planters' Hotel, where I had the most 
reasonable charge for a night's lodging and breakfast that I have 
paid in America : and after breakfast, my friends came and removed 
us to their own comfortable house. In the afternoon, they drove 
me to see the Cemetery, and also to visit Mrs. P 's father and 

* Since I left America a tc rrible accident has occurred, by the fall of a 
bridge. 



388 ST. LOUIS. 

mother, a few miles out of town. Colonel O'F has a very 

singular and interesting place, built on the site of some aboriginal 
city, and upon the summit of one of the ancient mounds. In dig- 
ging foundations, hundreds of skeletons of a very old type were 
found ; stone hatchets ; and, among other relics, one delicately- 
worked small mocassin. The trees which now shade (and so bury 
the dwelling that but a very small peep of the Mississippi can be 
obtained from its portico) were, with the exception of one poplar, all 

planted by Colonel O'F . He purchased a considerable estate 

there forty years ago, and has a charming garden, with some of the 
finest Magnolias macrophylla, pumila, and purpurea I ever saw, ex- 
cepting in the forests round Mobile : magnificent evergreens. Ilex 
opaci, Red cedars, and various pinuses ; Ipomoea, Quammoclit, and 
Coccinea, forming bowers six feet high, and rose bushes fifteen in 
height. I brought away the first ripened seed-vessel of Magnolia 
macrophylla I ever saw. I think this tree, flowers and fruit, still 
handsomer than grandiflora ; the leaves are larger and finer, 
although neither so dark, shining, or persistent as those of the 
grandiflora, and the flowers also are larger, though not so numerous. 
In the evening, the Botanist, Dr. Engelmann (introduced by a note 
from Dr. Gray), called and gave me much information ; my pleasant 

friends Dr. and Mrs L also. 

October 2. — Dr. L came before nine in the morning, and 

drove me out to see various parts of the town and environs. I 
wished to make a sketch or two, but it was difficult to find any spot 
from whence the Mississippi and the city could be made picturesque, 
and there would have been no satisfaction in a mere bird's-eye 
view. At last I drew the orreat river, with that now small villao-e 
upon the opposite bank, called Cahokia, a place which was once of 
importance, but which St. Louis has supplanted and so completely 
eclipsed, that its name is hardly known beyond its immediate vicin- 
ity. I made one more drawing looking back upon St. Louis, taking 
as foreground one of the most picturesque and singular limekilns I 
ever saw ; it is so rare to find a picturesque bit of building in 
America, even a limekiln. My pleasant kind friend then took me 



CHICAGO. 389 

to see Dr. Engelmann, where, upon a small lead at the back of his 
little town house (which was trellised by a Catawba vine, in full bear- 
ing), is to be seen the most rare and curious collection of Yuccas and 
Cacti, cultivated this side of the Atlantic; most of them from 
Mexico. The Doctor kindly gave me a httle box of seedhngs, 
which I hope to import safely into England. These objects of in- 
terest delayed my return to Dr. and Mrs. P until after their 

dinner hour. I was easily forgiven ; but they and some friends 

were waiting. We spent the evening with Dr. and ^Mrs. L . 

Although I was obliged to be on board the steamer at six, I did 
not go to rest till two o'clock in the morning. 

Chicago, October 3. — A beautiful day ; and as Lake Michigan 
is the only path by which I can hope to attain Mackinaw and the 
Sault St. Marie, after reaching Milwaukie by railroad, fine weather is 
of great importance ; but the elements have been unceasingly good- 
natured to me : ever since I left the shores of England, rain or sun- 
shine has always come at the right time for my particular objects, 
and if this good fortune will only continue till the second week in 
JSTovember, and see me well across the Atlantic again, I shall have 
the greatest reason to be thankful. 

JSTow I must go back to my leaving St. Louis yesterday morning. 
After performing every other act of hospitality and kindness pos- 
sible, Dr. and Mrs. P and Dr. L were up at five ; the two 

gentlemen accompanied me to the Reindeer steamer, and remained 
till the starting-bell rung. At St. Louis I have left a valuable and 
valued friend, even if in this phase of existence I meet him no more. 
We steamed away from the first forest of only funnels I ever beheld. 
At New Orleans there was also an immense assemblage of steamers, 
but there I saw also sailing-vessels, boats, masts : at St. Louis no 
boats but steamers ; no sails, no masts. It was a striking object 
for contemplation, not a picturesque one certainly — still, full of 
meaning. Some of the names, too, were suggestive — Reothuk, She- 
nandoah, Monongahela — Lidian sounds, poetical and characteristic, 
and appropriate to the waters of the Mississippi and the Missouri, 
which fall in about twenty miles above St. Louis. We saw the 



390 'women' and * ladies.* 

junction of these streams, and saw, too,liow the heavy molten waters 
of the Missouri contaminate the purity of the Upper Mississippi. 
For a short distance that bright blue river keeps apart from his un- 
inviting comrade, but he cannot long avoid contact ; his azure robes 
are first spotted, then soiled, and at last they are miserably and 
hopelessly discoloured and embrowned, and they must roll on hun- 
dreds of miles, and pass New Orleans a muddy compound, until 
they are purified, but lost in the sapphire waves of the Mexican 
Gulf. 

"We reached Alton about nine o'clock : it is a pretty place, 
which I did not see in the dark on Saturday ; the last forty miles, 
too, of that journey was through a rather fine country, not prairie, 
but woody. Before leaving the Reindeer steamer, I had some con- 
versation with a sensible lady from Chicago, who regretted the way 
in which the great majority of American young women are sacri- 
ficing health to vanity. She agrees that it is not so much climate 
as bad management which crowds the cemeteries with early victims. 
An idea has gone forth that fragility is interesting, and young ladies 
almost cultivate ill-health ! She told me that, standing at her own 
door one morning, she observed three girls between twelve and four- 
teen passing to school ; it was damp weather : these children were 
lightly and showily attired, with thin silk slippers, to set ofi" their 
feet to advantage — instead of good substantial boots. These kind 
of absurdities are common in the United States. 1 have found out 
a reason why ladies travelling alone must be extravagantly dressed ; 
without that precaution they meet with no attention and little 
civility, — decidedly much less than in any other country. So here 
it is not as ivomen but as ladies, they are to be cared for ! — and this 
in democratic America ! 

I saw flocks of prairie birds, both going and coming ; and I was 
told that they are a kind of grouse, generally called 'prairie chick- 
ens.' If they were roasted as we roast game in England, they 
would be very good : I have only tasted them broiled, so as to be 
dry and hard. There was nothing which struck my fancy, in the 
manner of expression, as peculiar in prairie life. I no longer hear 



MILWAUKIE. 391 

the singular affirmation * Yes, sirree," or ' No, sirree,' which was 
made use use of among the Adirondack Mountains, to express some- 
thing very positive. 

October 3, MilwauJcle. — I am brought to a stand-stiH. We ar- 
rived at Chicago too late for the Mackinaw steamer of yesterday. I 
w^as told that by taking the cars here early this morning, we should 
get a lake conveyance ; but, on reaching this place, not only my 
hope of a steamer till Friday is vain, but owing to what is called a 
State fair, it has been with the greatest difficulty that I have pro- 
cured a tiny bed-room in a secondary hotel. The town, though 
scattered and extensive, is crammed to overflowing. I am glad to 
observe that in these parts the taste of the settlers induces them to 
preserve the Indian names. We passed to-day by several places, 
such as Waakeyau, Shenosha, &c. ; near the last-mentioned town I 
observed a beautiful Gentian, growing in dry places by the side of 
the track. I do not know one exactly like it ; the colour was as 
brilliant as Bavarica, but several inches taller. 

Thd site of Milwaukie upon Lake Michigan is supposed to have 
been once covered by its waters, and fresh-water shells are found in 
the elevations behind the city. 

On Saturday morning I may reach Mackinaw, in the steamer 
Niagara, but the delay I have met with puts an end to all hope of 
my reaching Lake Superior, as Saint Marie is too distant, and I must 
follow the Colling wood Hne from Lake Michigan across Lake Huron, 
then to Toronto by land, and by Lake Ontario to Oswego, so as to 
reach Utica on Monday. 

Thursday, October 4. — Yesterday afternoon I set forth upon a 
voyage of discovery, to find out a spot from which I might take a 
sketch of the city. Making my way over a bridge to higher ground, 
it was' evident that the present site of Milwaukie was once covered 
by water; below some blufts, a mile and a half from the present 
lake, there is a most distinct beach, and shells are found just be- 
yond. The town authorities are going to great expense to cut 
through and level these bluffs, which, left as they are, would diver- 
sity and ornament their town. This levelling process will puzzle 



392 IRON MOUNTAIN. 

future geologists. I think the water here tastes of iron. By-the-bye, 
I quite forgot to mention the wonderful Iron Mountain of Missouri, 
situated in St. Francis County, about eighty miles south-west or 
south of St. Louis : it rises to a height two hundred and sixty feet 
above the surrounding country, and there is said to be many million 
tons of ore above the surface ! It is known as specular oxide, and 
yields from sixty to seventy per cent, of pure iron. There is also the 
Pilot Knob, Shepherd's Mountain, and other valuable deposits in 
Madison County, on the line of the Iron Mountain Railroad. These 
deposits vary in their character and produce; and yield iron adapted 
to various purposes. There are immense works and forges erected 
in Franklin County. About fifty miles west of St. Louis are large 
iron works, and in various other localities along the Mississippi ; 
abundance of iron is found also at that place on the Macamaco, 
where iron has been manufactured for some years past. The South- 
west branch of the Pacific Railroad passes through extensive depos- 
its of minerals — iron, copper, lead, and coal sufiicient to work all the 
mines on the line ; indeed, it is believed the metalliferous region of 
Missouri covers an area of near thirteen millions of acres : it also ex- 
tends into Arkansas and the Indian territory ; that country is said to 
be all maguesian hmestone, rich in lead. It surprises me to hear that 
the Iron Mountain is thickly timbered : I should have expected it to be 
devoid of trees of any size. I made my sketch this morning, from 

a house belonging to Mr. G , which stands upon an isolated 

bluflf, the earth having been so cut away all around it as to leave the 

buildings above in a doubtful state of security. Mr. G told me 

they are seeking compensation for the injury done to their property, 
as it will be impossible for them to remain on it another year. I 
walked up to look at the fair, but as there was a great number of 
people, I was afraid to encounter so large a crowd, and kept aloof; 
at the same time I did not see one instance of intoxication or disor- 
der : the visitants were generally well attired, good-humoured, and 
quietly amusing themselves. In short, this State fair of Milwaukie 
was a very creditable specimen of the conduct and civilization of the 
citizens of Wisconsin. 



A WORD TO TRAVELLERS. 893 

This afternoon closes in with a wetting fog. I hope it does not 
intend to be so thick to-morrow as to drive me back to Chicago ; 
for I will not embark on the lake and take the CoUingwood line, 
unless the weather promises well, though I shall regret to return 
ajjain via Toledo and Buffalo. 

Milwaukie, October 5. — At nine this morning I am told the 
Niagara has arrived ; and after a storm last night the weather is 
fine. 

On hoard the Niagara Steamer, October 6. — According to the 
usual fashion in this country of furnishing false information, after 
giving up my rooms and going down, bag and baggage, to the 
wharf, the only vessel there was a steamer going back to Chicago. 
Fortunately, at the steam agency office, I had fallen in with the 
principal agent for the CoUingwood line, to whom I feel indebted for 
a civility and attention I should not have received from his subordi- 
nates. He got my things safely taken care of, before he was obliged 
to embark for Chicago, and did all in his power to facilitate my pas- 
sage in the Niagara whenever she might arrive ; but six hours of 
tiresome waiting on that wharf, in very uncivilized company, ensued. 
At last, in despair, I went up to the office, with the idea of changing 
ray ticket for the railroad. Evidently there was a gi-eat demur about 
allowing this. I had been unwise enough, upon the faith of the 
Niagara) s supposed arrival, to pay for my tickets through to Oswego. 
I recommend travellers in America never to take tickets in advance, 
beyond the first office, as, if anything occurs to make a change of 
route necessary, they must bear in mind that ?*efund is a very bad 
fund. However, just as I had secured a carriage to remove my 
things from the wharf to the railroad, with a determination to go 
off, and take my chance of ultimate justice, the steamer was an- 
nounced to be in sight, and upon her reaching the dock we found 
that bad weather had delayed her departure from Chicago until 
eight in the morning, although a telegraphic message shown to me at 
the office stated she had left that port at one hour after midnight. Of 
course, if such had been the case, her delay of seven hours after 
the usual time gave reasonable cause for anxiety. Captain Miller 
18 



394 WANT OF CONSIDERATION. 

was very obliging, aud I immediately procured a comfortable berth, 
where I could rest after so many hours of suspense and anxiety. 

Of course, this detention puts Lake Superior and St. Marie out 
of the question. The doubt is, whether I can even attain Utica by 
the day I am engaged to be there. If we reach Toronto too late, 
we may miss the steamer to Oswego, and be again delayed some 
hours. The lake is not very smooth : it still retains some agitation 
from the storm of Thursday, and I see many people suffering from 
sickness ; however, it was well to be on shore during the bad wea- 
ther. So far my delay was a fortunate one. Last night I suffered 
from an illustration of the want of thought and consideration for 
others, which appears to me to make itself more evident among the 
population, particularly of the young generation, in America than iu 
Europe. Being much fatigued, I retired early, and the same thing 
was the case with a majority of passengers; but there was a piano 
in the saloon, close to my berth. After ten o'clock at night, a young- 
girl sat down to perform — not harmonious music, for such a disturb- 
ance might have been forgiven, but she perseveringly amused herself 
by striking the instrument in a style so utterly discordant, that, after 
a while of patient endurance, I opened my door, and inquired 
whether it was right at that time of night to keep the passengers 
from sleeping ? She repeated my words with an air of ludicrous 
impertinence, and, though she paused for a little while, before long 
the annoyance was continued, if not by her by others, without the 
smallest excuse or apology ! Thus do the rising generation here 
mistake rudeness for Repubhcanism, and selfishness for independence ; 
but we must not be too hard upon them. As this great and grow- 
ing nation advances in life and experience, it will advance also in 
civilization and true Christian politeness ; Rowdyism will cease to 
be considered manliness, or extravagance gentility. Noble American 
spirits are setting an example, correcting these errors. A few more 
years, and their influence will permeate and pervade the length and 
breadth of American society. As yet, that society is but roughed 
out — not polished : the polishing will follow in due time. 

Already in Boston I have remarked that simpHcity and comfort 



DARK ROOMS. 395 

are advancing beyond ostentation ; dress and furniture there evince 
more attention to suitability than to mere shov/. In every other 

part of the United States, with the exception of Mr. G 's, of 

Canandaigua, and one or two other houses, magnificent curtains, 
expensive carpets, and fine mirrors, are more abounding than in 
England ; but useful tables, wi'iting materials, and other little com- 
forts we consider imperative, are wanting. That singular fashion — 
which is almost general — of making the drawing-room and parlours 
so obscure, that the inmates might as well live in cellars, is one 
reason why necessaries for employment are scarce. Tables would be 
almost useless where no one can see to write or draw. I have been 
told it is the heat of this climate which makes people thus darken 
their rooms ; but they have a long winter, and sunshine is as care- 
fully excluded in cold weather as in hot ; besides, I never heard that 
in Italy there is such an intense love of obscurity. It has happened 
that I have opened a blind in some of the hotels ; and the chamber- 
maid, upon entering, rushed to close it with an air of as much alarm 
as if the sun was shining in to the injury of some valuable picture. 

This morning we have had some negro music ; two darkies sing- 
ing duets, accompanying themselves with a guitar and violin. Their 
voices good, and (like those of most of the negroes) in perfect tune. 
One song had a chorus imitative of barking dogs, which amused the 
younger passengers extremely. By eight at night we reached 
Mackinaw — that island, with a fort once known as Michilimackinac, 
a name I had so often heard in my childhood from an old friend, 
whose husband served in the early American conflicts between the 
English and French, that I wished much to see the place which 
owned it, but it was too dark for much observation ; I could only 
tell that a fort is still in existence, and there is a large pointed rock, 
like a sugar-loaf. The town is small, with a population of about two 
thousand. A steamer lay alongside the wharf; she proved to be the 
Lady Elgin, the very boat in which, if it had not been for false in- 
formation, we should have embarked on Tuesday night, at Chicago. 
That apparent disappointment has proved an advantage, for she was 
disabled in the next day's storm ; and we escaped both fright and 



396 T] 

danger, while we slioiild not have been advanced one mile on our 
voyage. 

Toronto^ October 8, — We arrived at Collingwood by seven o'clock 
this morning, after a tedious and anxious passage from Mackinaw — 
anxiety for others more than for ourselves. As the Lady Elgin 
was not considered in a safe position at that place, and had no means 
there of repairing her damages, our captain decided upon taking her 
in tow. The following night and day proved rough ; and, if the 
heaving of the vessel had caused the towing lines to give way, it 
would have been impossible for the Niagara to have afforded more 
assistance. What an awful consideration that such an accident 
would have obliged us to leave the unfortunate Lady Elgin and her 
passengers to their fate ; which (as she was quite helpless) would 
probably have been a watery grave. It was a great reHef when once 
we passed Lake Huron and the lower end of the Georgian Bay, for 
then apprehension was over. 

During this voyage we saw the Manitoolia Islands, and Fox and 
Duck Islands; of course I abandoned all notion of Sault St. Marie 
and Lake Superior. The cars received us upon landing at Colling- 
wood ; and passing by Lake Simcoe, I was glad, after travelling 
ninety miles before breakfast, to reach this place by eleven o'clock. 
At nine in the evening we must embark upon Lake Ontario, 
in the Canada steamer for Oswego. I shall be glad when my last 
voyage upon these inland seas is happily accompHshed. Again we 
were subjected to false information, although I sent down to the 
agent who had charge of the baggage (which was checked through 
to Oswego) to ask for the steamer belonging to the Collingwood line. 
R was informed that our passage must be made in the Canada. 

' Are you sure that is the Collingw^ood line ? ' she asked ; and 
was answered, ' Oh, it is all one.' Yet, when we showed our tickets 
upon going on board the steamer, we were informed that they were 
useless, and that our passage must be again paid for; besides which, 
we then found that our baggage had been previously sent at five 
o'clock by the Mayflower ; so there was the inconvenience of its ab- 
sence added to additional expense. Our night voyage across Lake 



SILURIAN FOSSILS. SG*"/ 

Ontario was a quiet and safe one ; the Canada is a fine large steamer. 
We reached Oswego by eight o'clock, and if it had not been for un- 
expected delays in attaining the landing wharf, we should have been 
in time for the nine o'clock train to Syracuse ; but as it was we had 
to wait, with as much patience as we might, until half-past eleven. . 
By three o'clock I reached Utica, to find a never-failing cordial 
reception from my friends there. In the course of the afternoon Mrs. 
Seymour took me to see Colonel Jowett's fine collection of Silurian 
fossils ; there I found very curious and unique specimens of the early 
crustaceans, a great variety of Trilobites, and some things I never be- 
fore heard of; the most singular were found at Niagara and Tren- 
ton. Colonel Jowett was so obliging as to ofter me some duplicates, 
which I shall like much to have. At night I took leave of Governor 
and Mrs. Seymour, and parted from them with a deep and grateful 
sense of the untiring and affectionate kindness they have evinced to- 
wards me during the past year. The early train for Albany started 
at five o'clock in the morning, and I reached Awasfanook, near Lenox, 
sufficiently early for a pleasant drive in the afternoon. 

Thursday, October 10. — Mr. D went with me in search of 

a white rose I saw blowing last July upon Eattlesnake Mountain, as 
the season is now favourable for taking up suckers. We were suc- 
cessful in finding an abundant crop, and I am rather in hopes that 
this Awastanook rose will prove a novelty to the botanical world. 

Thursday afternoon, and all Friday, the rain poured down in tor- 
rents ; I thought myself fortunate in being comfortably housed, and 
that this storm did not catch us on Lake Ontario. 

Saturday. — The morning, though cloudy, was only wet under- 
foot ; a carriage was ordered, and I drove with one of my friends, to 
fulfil a promise I had made to an occupant of the farm from which I 
had made a sketch of Lenox and the surrounding countr}^, that she 
should see the drawing. We found with her two intelligent young 
women ; daughters, I conclude. The premises resembled a comfort- 
able English farm ; a large spinning-wheel was in use in the parlour. 
I observed maps, and other indications of education, with a certain 
degree of refinement; and all the inmates evinced an intense and 



398 INDIAN NAMES. 

delighted interest in ray sketch ; they expressed the most lively grati- 
tude for being allowed to see it, and eagerly pointed out every fa- 
miliar tree and cottage. In return, I learned the Indian name of 
that pretty lake, on the borders of \Yhich Hawthorne wrote his Seven 
Qables — Mackinaw, — ' the Mountain Mirror ; ' what an improve- 
ment upon that un-euphonious appellation of Stockbridge Pond ! 

Monday, October 16. — This morning at nine o'clock I must take 
leave of Awastanook forever. Thankful for my enjoyment of its 
lovely scenery, and convinced, too, that this spot will ever remain 
impressed upon my memory, as a ' Mountain Mirror,' which to me 
has reflected only truth and beauty. 

Boston^ October 16. — Although I came by railroad from the 
Berkshire Hills last summer, I was 3^esterday still more strongly im- 
pressed by the beautiful country it passes through : perhaps the late 
rains have embrowned and deepened the rapid torrents and numer- 
ous lakes of that Highland district; while crimson and golden tints 
give added brilliancy to forests which are at all times varied in foli- 
ao-e. I could only regret that almost all the houses and farms are so 
very white and uniform in appearance ; I did once see a sky-blue 
stable, and occasionally a red barn, and such colours were quite a re- 
lief to the monotony. How subdued and quiet the grey stone build- 
ino-s of England will look, after the almost universal white paint of 
American erections. 

I find myself again under that friendly roof which sheltered me 
first, and promises to shelter me last on this side of the Atlantic ; as 
I shall embark on the 24th, upon my homeward voyage, this will 
probably be the conclusion of my letters. Before closing them, I 
must once more return to the subject of Slavery : in the first place, 
to extract a few observations from a letter written by a gentleman of 
known experience and ability ; and then to answer an accusation 
made against me by some Northern friends, who afllrm that I have 
not spent sufficient time among slaves and slaveholders to judge 
fairly. My correspondent says : — ' The phenomenon of African Sla- 
very, as it is sometimes called, is in truth no phenomenon at all. 
Where is the country, or the period of history, wherein slavery did 



REMARKS ON SLAVERY. 999 

not exist in some shape or the other ? Slavery has always existed^ 
and will continue, as long as there is a disparity in the intellect and 
energy of men. I do not enter into the question of the Unity of 
Races, which is supposed to be derived from Bible authority : it will 
be sufficient to assert that this race, known as African, is inferior to 
the Caucasian. As a people, the blacks are sensual and stupid, lazy, im- 
provident and vicious ; unless under guidance, they have no idea of 
cherishing those virtues which elevate our common nature ; they 
have an alacrity for sinking — nothing more. In their own country 
they are either savages or slaves. There is at this time, and there 
have been for long periods, a large number of free coloured people in 
the slaveholding and non-slaveholding States of the Union; but 
even constant attrition against Yankee sharpness and shrewdness, 
has failed to elicit one scintillation of talent or genius from this race. 
When they pass from bondage, it is only to swell the volume of in- 
significance or vice which has characterized their past history. But 
besides this, I would remark that we should reflect upon the fact of 
Slavery, more than upon the manner of its regulation. The Virgin- 
ian negro, who is held by law as a slave, is really little more a slave 
than the man who works in the mines and manufactories of England. 
The first is held in subjection by a well-devised system of police, the 
other by a necessity stronger than any police. It is no answer to say 
that the Englishman can, if he chooses, leave his employer ; that 
power only exists in theory, as the penalty for severing his bonds is 
starvation. His real master is Capital — which, being in its nature 
greedy, grasping, and selfish, it doles out to human labour the small- 
est possible amount which will sustain life, and keep the working 
machine in due order. There are three millions of slaves in the 
United States, and thoy constitute the only black people who are 
progressing in civilization and Christianity — who are orderly, quiet, 
contented, and industrious. They are well fed, well clad, and in 
physical comforts will compare advantageously with the same num- 
ber of operatives in any part of Europe. 

' The only favourable results yet marked out for the African 
race are due to the American system of slavery ; and until experience, 



400 REMARKS ON SLAVERY. 

shall have demonstrated that some other policy will result in greater 
blessings to the negro, I cannot but regard efforts to abolish the 
present state of things as thoughtless and unwise, if not unjust and 
inhuman.' 

So much for the opinion of a good man who has long studied 
the question here. My visit to the South may not have enabled me 
to ferret out and investigate all the evils there may be to^ discover 
there, and it would be absurd to ignore the possible existence of 
cruel masters and ill-used slaves ; but I saw nothing and heard 
very little, which would substantiate accusations ; yet early rising 
and active habits gave me opportunities of using my eyes and ears, 
in the fields and the forests, and in places where not many travellers 
would be suspected. The varied aspects of New York, and Paris, 
and London, are dwelt upon and described every day, and yet how 
few writers think it necessary to seek out and reprobate the slave 
holders of those cities. Now I hear it said — ' Bad things may be 
done in free countries, but they are not done legally.' 

The ahuses of slavery are no less illegal ; and let us confess, and 
acknowledge repentantly, how cruelly England, or rather English 
law, did first neglect, and then persecute children, human beings 
born, and perhaps nurtured in crime, through the indolence and 
negligence of society. Then, because of the very weakness and 
ignorance thus induced and fastened upon these helpless ones, have 
they not been incarcerated in prisons ? denied those very occupations 
and exercises positively necessary for the moral, intellectual, and 
physical improvement of growing creatures ? and when at last the 
consequences of such treatment became evidenced by an increase of 
vicious propensities, the poor outcasts, if not legally murdered accord- 
ing to ancient law, have at any rate been whipped and tormented 
until their hands were raised against every man, as those of every 
man have been against them ! 

Of late years the British people have opened their eyes, and they 
liave been looking into, and endeavouring to remedy, such evils ; and 
surely every nation has work enough to do at home ; and if each 



EPILOGUE. 401 

will only put aside distant, and perhaps ignorant philanthropy, until 
they have done their own immediate business, the world will be in 
a fair way to be mended ; and those crimes and sorrows which affect 
the white race quite as heavily and pitiably as Slave Institutions press 
upon the black, will rapidly become ameliorated and consoled. 

Tn the meanwhile, if the observations in these letters jar against 
commonly-received and long-cherished opinions and principles, I am 
sorry to differ. Let it be remembered that every case has two sides. 
Hitherto, of Slavery one side only has been made prominent. It will 
be admitted by most intelligent thinkers, that open discussion is 
useful ; and if I have drawn mistaken conclusions, they must ulti- 
mately rectify themselves. I am not conscious of being imbued with 
a spirit of partisanship ; and I trust nothing I have said will arouse 
feelings of bitterness, or in any degree wound that kind spirit, through 
and by which alone this subject should be approached. 

These letters were hastily written, sent off by post uncopied, and 
generally uncorrected. They ask for indulgence ; but, as I have always 
believed that the fresh impressions of any commonly intelligent ob- 
server must have some degree of interest, so I make no further apol- 
ogy for this pubhcation; and I shall only add one or two more 
suggestions with regard to Slavery. If that indigenous earth-nut, 
from which such a quantity of oil is, or can be, expressed, were to 
meet with sufficient encouragement upon the African coasts, and if 
the Blockading Squadron were exchanged for merchant-ships to car- 
ry away the produce, the traffic in slaves would gradually be given 
up for a more remunerative occupation, and it would be one which 
might absorb all the surplus black labour. Commercial remedies 
are the only certain and legitimate slavery preventives. By using 
them, we should save white lives as well as black lives, and white 
money as well as black interests ; and if the slaveholders in the 
South Amenpan Statai^ caij be induced to ^o-operate with us in the 
ChristianizajWlnd ci\|Jztng of Afnca by S Jaw which may enable 
all those black slaves who, showing sufficient economy and fore- 
thought to save money for self-purchase, are willing to buy them- 
selves, on condition of going to Africa, much good can be accomplished. 



402 EPILOGUE. 



It is my belief, you may as well attempt to improve the morals, and 
add to the happiness of idiots by turning thera out of asylums, as to 
imagine you can benefit the ' darkies' by abolitionism. 

Yours afiectionately, 

A. M. M. 



If any wishes should be expressed for the publication of a series 
of Sketches* which would illustrate these volumes, Messrs. Willis of 
Henrietta Street, Covent Garden, have authority to receive applica- 
tions concerning it. 



Decemher^ 1855. 



THE END. 



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